LilHyppo

Protecting Your Investment—Caring for Your Smartphone

2011-10-08T01:56:00.000-07:00

With all the features and functions available on a smartphone nowadays, you're making a real investment when you purchase one. That's why it's important to care for your phone like you would any other delicate and expensive piece of equipment. Here are a few ideas to help you out:

Keep your smartphone in a safe location such as your purse or pocket. Don't toss it into the bottom of your bag, or throw it on the dashboard of your car where it can get scratched, scuffed or even cracked from abuse. If you don't like a hard case, then at least be sure you have a separate pocket free of keys and other objects that might harm the phone. This will also make it easier to find when you want to use it.

Some phones, like the HTC Android camera phones, offer such high quality photo-taking options that your phone becomes much more than a communication device. In that case, you may want to keep an extra memory card handy so you can remove photos periodically. That way you will save your pics in the event your phone is lost, damaged or stolen.
And don't think people don't steal smartphones. They do! Be sure you keep an eye on your phone whether you're in a store, restaurant or anywhere else. Keep it in your purse or pocket, or hold it if necessary to discourage theft. There's no telling what aspects of your identity a criminal can capture from mining your smartphone.

Also be sure to record your personal information and keep a record of all your telephone numbers, addresses and other data you normally store in your phone. You'll be glad you did if you ever leave it at home one day and need to make an important call or email.

Smartphones aren't cheap, but they offer so many functions that make life easier. If you can afford one, they're certainly worth the investment. Just be sure that you care for your phone and keep it safe to protect that investment. Then the only thing you have to worry about is upgrading when the next great smartphone comes along.

Savings and More Savings!!!

2011-09-10T04:20:00.000-07:00

I love deals. Who doesn't eh? But I really meant to say, I LOVE DEALS!!! And now with the WWW, it's even easier to get your hands on great deals and discounts. At one point I actually had to stop visiting certain websites in order not to buy anymore vouchers :p I have to say that I saved a lot, tho. Oh! PLEASE be a Fan CouponChief.com on Facebook! They have thousands of retailers on their page offering the best deals, discounts and sales. Dining, apparels, groceries, travels. Just name it and they'll probably have it. At Couponchief, everyone has access to the best deals!

And there's more!! Couponchief is taking coupons to the next level of savings. Upload coupons and share the savings!! Each time someone uses the coupon you've uploaded, you will be given 2% of the sales. How awesome is that??! Hurry! Sign up to be a part of their Pays-2-Share program and start making some extra money!

I truly love the simple and easy to use interface of their website. I now no longer have to be excited over a great deal but be depressed when I see that it's expired :p With Couponchief, only the latest great deals will be found. Expired deals will be romoved from the site. No more worries about invalid coupons!

Online Dating and the Single Mum

2011-08-29T20:50:00.000-07:00

Dating online and single mothers. These are not two concepts you would traditionally see in the same sentence. But in my eyes, there could not be a more perfect fit. Having a child on your own is a very challenging experience and can be utterly disillusioning. However hard it may be, it’s very important to find some time to be yourself as a single mother – the person you used to be, removed from motherhood. And eventually, it’s important that you reawaken your love life. Online dating provides the perfect avenue for this re-introduction into the dating world. Here are a few reasons why:

It’s popular and widely successful…

There used to be a definite stigma attached to online dating, everyone considering its users to be either desperate or weird. But as more and more of our interaction moves online, dating websites are becoming the norm. There are now a huge number of them, and each has many success stories. Dating giant eHarmony are believed to be responsible for 5% of marriages in the US, and UK dating with eHarmony has also been immensely successful. Single mother or not, this is the new and ever-growing dating trend.

It’s speedy…

Time is not an easy thing to come by as a single parent. It’s a full-time job: you’re either working or babysitting. And the only activity that seems possible during your free moments is sleep. This is where online dating is handy – it takes no time at all to sign up and start browsing matches. Also, you’re usually updated via email, so you can check the site and any developments whilst on the move.

It’s convenient…

Online dating is also incredibly convenient. With this you never have to hire a babysitter, go to a bar and stare around hopefully for a suitor. You can browse matches from the privacy and comfort of your own home. You can even initiate the first stages of the relationship online, not having to leave the house until three or four weeks down the line.

It finds the perfect matches…

Dating websites also save you another load of time by tracking down the right people for you. They have compatibility matchers which ask you lots of questions – such as the personality quiz with eHarmony – and then your matches are based on the answers. For single parents this is very useful as you can find compatible people, maybe single parents themselves, more easily.

It gives you control…

When dating online, everything is easier to control. You don’t give out personal contact details until you’re ready. You don’t meet someone in person until you’re ready. This means you can take things as slowly as you want – a big advantage if you haven’t dated for a while.

Easy, fast, fun and effective, online dating has a benefit for everyone, but especially for single mothers cautiously re-entering the world of dating.

Webhosting

2011-08-25T20:21:00.000-07:00

Webhosting companies are truly widely available nowadays. I come across links to different webhosting companies every once in awhile.There are so many out there that we wouldn't know how to choose the right one eh? I admit that I have that problem myself too :p But fret not! It's so much easier now with this website, all the major, trusted webhosting companies are in there for you to choose.

Best of all, they have coupons for you to save more money! I am so gonna check out this webhosting company soon!!! Hopefully they are able to suit my budget and need. I need to blog more in the future as I am certainly in need of some extra moolah! ;)

Charm Bracelets.

2011-07-25T23:27:00.000-07:00

When I was a teen, I used to love charm bracelets so much that I have a huge bunch of 'em. But now that I am a mom, I no longer have the chance to put on anything but ring slings, diaper bags and milk bottles :p I can't even remember the last time I dressed decently. But then, if the girl will love charm bracelets as much as I used to, I will be more than happy to get some for her. They are so irresistably cute. I am sure she would love the silver and gold bespoke charm bracelets. As for me, I prefer platinum ones hehe. And now, they can even customise your very own charm bracelet according to your liking. How cool is that?! Maybe I should get one for my mom's birthday this coming October. She's the biggest jewellery fan! I am sure she would be thrilled to receive that as a birthday pressie! 157

I think I've read somewhere that charm bracelets are supposed to be very lucky. They are worn to keep nasties away. I wonder how true this is but I wouldn't mind getting more if it's true. A little something to remind us that everything will be alright, who wouldn't want that eh? Oh gosh, I really can't wait to order some now! They are so pretty!! While I am at it, maybe I should get once charm bracelet for each cousin sister? :p Ain't it cool when everyone wears the charm bracelets on our next family gathering? I would definitely take out my camera and get a shot of that!!

Postcards

2011-07-21T16:39:00.000-07:00

I remember when I was a kid, I used to love collecting postcards whenever I get them from friends and classmates who went for vacations. I think the stack of postcards has been given away few years back after some spring-cleaning session. LOL! In fact it's much easier now to start collecting postcards again as I can have them printed however and whenever I want them :p You know, the thing about postcards are they are always so colourful and pretty, it makes you imagine you are at that certain place there and then. I used to be fascinated over pretty postcards with amazing, breathtaking views of places abroad.

But then, the passion to collect postcards was then put aside as I got lesser and lesser postcards over the years. People have now gone more digital when it comes to things like this and some prefer buying souvenirs (which is fine with me BTW :p) Even I myself would prefer buying souvenirs whenever I travel. And those pretty sceneries I used to drool over can now be put into photographs instead. Maybe I should take some awesome shots and have them printed as postcards to be given to my friends and family the next round I travel. That would be a great idea huh? Personally shot by myself and have it printed as a postcard! I should go check out postcard printing. Talk about personal touch! Hehe!! Next trip's souvenir - CHECKED!

10 Years To Retirement

2011-07-19T18:41:00.001-07:00

When you start your career or your first job, retiring probably seemed like it was years away. But the years have passed by, or flown by for many of us so much faster than you had hoped for. Now you find yourself only years away from retirement and unsure if you are ready for it. Gone are the days of spontaneous spending, cash advances for trips, and unnecessary things if you aren't ready for retirement. You have to move forward and focus intently on saving more for your retirement and your investment strategies.

You're only ten years away from retirement, it's time to take a look are your retirement savings and see if you are on target with your goals. At this point in time many people will realize that they have fallen behind or completely underestimated what they would have. For so many people retirement sat on the back burner as they spent their money other places, like buying ta house, raising a family, and buying new cars, etc.

If you are having concerns that you may not have enough saved up, you can always consider working longer. I know that's not what you wanted to hear, but it's common nowadays for people to work well into their late 60's . People are much healthier, feel younger and live longer. So it makes sense to extend your work life, so that you don't have to live off of retirement money for 30 + years. While working longer allows you to save more money, it also means you'll have more money for fewer years. But look, if that's not an option for you, there are other things you can do.

It's important to realize that it's never too late to get back on track, or even start saving for retirement. As you get older, time is what will determine how you need to play your cards. If you have money invested in the stock market, and so on, this might be the time to revise your investments. Stock markets are volatile and are riskier when done short term, so with 10 years left to retirement, this is your time to check in with your advisor and start making some changes to your portfolio. Changing your investments into income producing cash, is what most retirees want, so that they can have more money coming in on a monthly or quarterly basis. Bonds, dividends, etc. and invetments that are the equivilent to cash because they are more stable.

Before you reach your retirement date, you should consider taking a look at your plans distribution options and their impact on your taxes. This is something you will want to discuss with your financial advisor to make sure that you have a well devised plan for your retirement. Over all, you should start to take a look at how your doing savings wise and try to determine wether you're heading towards reaching your goal. If you are not, know that it's not too late the make the necessary changes to head you in the right direction.

Online Degree Programs

2011-07-18T19:06:00.000-07:00

Most of you would have known by now that Maine has started attending daycare since April this year. Well, to call it a daycare is something minor I guess. She has to attend English, BM, Mandarin, Mathematics, Moral, Art, Music and PE lessons 5 days a week. Saturday is more of a play-time kinda thing. Frankly speaking, I remembered I didn't have to learn so much stuff until I was in Primary school. As much as I think it's quite heavy for a 2-year old, I know it's not a choice with our education system here. So to balance off all those, I let her enjoy herself at home as much as possible. Of course, during the weekends I try to spend as much time possible with her. Whether it's water-time or playground time, she loves every minute of it :)

I think that as a SAHM, it's one of the best things I can do for myself at the moment. At least I know I will be studying in some Online Universities instead of spending time on FB :p But I am not very fond of doing revisions and exams actually hehe... So, it's all still in the plannings.

I think it's not too early to start researching for babe's tertiary education now hor? I wonder if she would like to pursue her online degree programs in music?

Maybe I should check out :
Federal Student Aid College Finder http://studentaid2.ed.gov/gotocollege/collegefinder/advanced_find.asp

I.T Noob

2011-07-15T23:23:00.000-07:00

Frankly speaking, I am quite the I.T idiot. Most of the stuffs related to I.T are just pure jargons to me. I still remember when I first started blogging, I had the urge to give up when I saw the htmls. But then I am glad I started this blog of mine which was meant to jot down moments of my girl growing up.

And with the birth of this blog, I went on to start my blogshop. It was good that I had checked out web hosting to minimise the troubles of the above said jargons :p Less hassle for an I.T idiot like me hehe...

Next round I will probably stick to managed hosting to save all the hassles (and also some brain cells :p)

And if you already have your own servers but wanna place your hardware with adequate space, temp control and security, check out colocation.

It was thru blogging that I had known so many buddies that supported me throughout my hardest times. Their encouraging words helped me walk through the darkest tunnels in my life and I truly thank all of you from the deepest of my heart :)

I'm Back!!!

2011-07-15T23:05:00.000-07:00

*blows, blows*

*brushes cobwebs and dusts*

Hehhhhh!

Paiseh! Been a long, LONG while since I last blogged. (Blame it on FB :p)

So much has been happening since January when I last blogged.

Hong Kong, babe's 2nd birthday, her maiden trip to Sabah to meet my grandma, bla bla bla.

And btw, I baru noticed my blog's PR has gone up to a T.H.R.E.E!!!!!!!!

Woot woot!!

Time to go back to blogging more if I wanna invest in gold bullion eh?

But frankly speaking, I prefer to invest in shares.

And the doting grandparents have been investing in some shares for babe's education fund. I am really grateful for all that they have been doing for us :)

So, now all that is left to do is to hope that the prices will be super high by the time she is 18!! :p

How I Love the Way She Calls Me Momma...

2011-01-23T19:28:00.001-08:00

Maine : Maaaaaaa...

Me : Uii?

Maine : Maaaaaa...

Me : Uiiiiiiii yes baby?

Maine : Maaaaaa...

Me : Yes girl...? Guai!

Maine : Maaaaaa...

Me : Babeeeeeeeeeeeee... (Using same pitch, same volume :p)

Maine : Maaaaaa... *cheeky face*

Me : *smiles then melts*

The reason she keeps calling me Maaaaaaa whenever I drive her out is because I told her before that I love the way she calls me. I love the little things that happen in my life. All because of her. Thank you baby for giving me the chance to be your mom. I cannot ask for more. :)

2010 in a Glance

2010-12-31T04:06:00.000-08:00

Today is the last day of 2010!!!

This year has been good.

Some bad stuffs too but I choose to sweep all that under the carpet and pray they will be gone with the wind someday :P

AND!

We shall always look at the bright side instead right??!

Ahheehee...

So, here are memorable moments of 2010 (whichever that comes to mind first)

1. Had a great time bonding with my cousins from Kota Kinabalu during their trip back to Ipoh. Maine met her Carlo Kor-Kor for the first time too!

2. Went to Phuket and had a flopping time staying at Marriott's Villas.

3. Got picked as a winner for The Wynners contest organized by Genting.

4. Went to Genting thrice within a year -.-

5. Da Babe got hospitalized for Rotavirus.

6. Got my very first DSLR in April.

7. Got the iPad and I have no regrets about Maine having this thing. True that it's not good for her eyes and I foresee her wearing specs by the age of 3 but again, let's just sweep that under the carpet :p She has been learning super fast with it and I still get a little dumb-founded everytime I watch her play with it like a pro. She can play Angry Birds better than me -.-

8. Started my own online store BB Couture and there will be more plans for it the coming year.

9. Da Babe has been a good girl so far and I am really grateful. Maybe Terrible 2 has not striked yet but I truly treasure the little things she does for me at the moment. Shall schedule a post next week or so on this coz I wanna read it when I grow old and she no longer sticks to me :)

10. Not to forget, I got the chance to meet a few bloggers throughout the year and I am very grateful for the support I get from all of you. ;)

11. But most of all, I am proud of the fact that I have picked up P.H.O.T.O.G.R.A.P.H.Y!! I love it very much. Despite my sifu saying that I am lazy heehee...

I believe next year, 2011 will be a good year too...

A vacation to kickstart our new year and a new car on the way as my current car will be passed on to my cousin who will be studying in Kampar starting January. Which means... I will have no car from January onwards. O.M.G... I seriously don't know how I will survive without a car until February. Or March. Or April (!!!!!!!!!)

I shouldn't complain. I will survive!!!!!

And before I forget, a Happy New Year to all of you!!!!

Plans

2010-12-09T10:29:00.001-08:00

The one thing that I have learnt the most ever since I had Maine must be the fact that plans don't usually work the way you had planned them...

Out of 10 plans you make, confirm 9 will be failed one lor -.-

Ok la... At least that's what I have been facing throughout this 31 months lor...

I remember I had initially planned to give birth and go back to work after the 2 months confinement period but then look how I ended up now...

Who would have imagined I can be a cow for 22 months???!

Sometimes, I scared the shit out of myself thinking I have been a human pacifier for such a long time. (might not be long to others but to me it is a great achievement... )

And then... A few months back I had planned to send the lil one to daycare in January but................

Change of plan again... Am now thinking of waiting until she is a little older. Meanwhile I should go back to work and get a maid to help Pops look after Maine. But then it's still in the plans and I have not confirmed anything yet.

But the point is......... Plans really don't work well with me...

Plan all you want but a little flick from the surroundings or people surrounding you... And bssssssshhhh... Plan failed!

On a happier note, I think I did quite well in my vow to pick up photography and post processing :D

Still aplenty to learn but at least it's not as bad as last time :p

Some of the earlier shots :

Of Parenting and Bitchy Aunties

2010-11-25T03:35:00.001-08:00

Being a parent is super hard... And don't even mention being a parent to the smarter gen kids.

Soft with your kid, and they will say, "Aiyo cannot spoil her like that!!!"

Scold, and you will be 'cha-ed' with a "You so fierce, how do you expect her to answer you??"

Smack, and they will say, "Child abuse" *rolls eyes*

I mean like, seriously hor... do you know how hard it is to be a single parent anot har??

I do not like the idea of carrying my kid to school even though she is already 6 years old and can walk faster and better than me!!

I do not like the idea of buying stuffs for her every single day just so that she will go to school.

This might be your way to do things but I am not in the same league as yours.

My kid doesn't have a father to be her white knight as Sheoh Yan puts it.

So it is super important for me to strike a balance when I educate her.

I scold when I need to, I smack when I need to (no rotan) and I talk some sense when I need to.

And if you only see the smacking and scolding part and hold that part against me, then too bad... I can only 'cha' you back when my turn comes.

I will pat myself on the back, because those with a psychology degree online know that all this is perfectly normal. And, parenting is much harder than any administrative careers so all single moms should know they

are likely doing much better than they think.

Plus, I always make sure there are hugs and kisses after each 'education' period. ;)

Short Getaway!!

2010-11-19T23:03:00.001-08:00

Will be in KL for 2 days to waste money again!! But I seriously need the retail therapy!!! Hopefully I manage to conquer Cotton On Kids and U-ni-ku-ro :p

Wish me luck!! :D

Of Maine and Shopping

2010-11-12T21:37:00.001-08:00

Me : Maine, shall we go Jusco or Parkson?
Maine : Yi jek (this one)
Me : Bin jek? (which one)
Maine : Yi jek, yi jek!! (points to the direction of Jusco)
Me : Bin jek? Jusco ar?
Maine : *nods*
Me : Parkson ok?
Maine : *shakes head* Yi jek, yi jek!!!!
Me : Ok ok, Jusco!!
Maine : :)

Maine @ 1 year 8 months

My new online store!!

2010-10-24T08:34:00.001-07:00

Hah! Blog neglected due to new project that needs mucho attention from me.

Yup, most of you would have know that my new online store has just been launched.

Feel free to drop by http://www.bb-couture.com/ which sells mainly cloth diapers and handmade items :)

Currently there are not much stuffs in stock but I will be adding new stocks very frequently so be sure to check back often ;)

Oh!! Opening promo going on right now! Everything at 10% off until end of November!!!

Updates on Baby Bernard

2010-10-06T06:09:00.000-07:00

Baby Bernard...

Is in peace now.

Even though I do not know him personally, but somehow I cannot stop feeling sad.

I've been shedding buckets since I heard the news from Sherynn.

Just thinking how he suffered before he left is enough to make my heart ache.

All that I have to say now is, RIP Little Bernard.

Please help Baby Bernard

2010-10-04T23:58:00.000-07:00

I think by now, most of you have read about Baby Bernard's condition.

Bernard is 7 months and he has a very serious heart problem.

His parents are very young and they are seeking help from kind souls all across FB.

They need money for Bernard's operation which is on the 10th.

Initially I had doubts that this is 1 of those cheat cases (I believe most of you have doubts too)

So, I took the initiative to call and google and whatever I can do to convince myself that this is no cheat case.

The photos, the bills, the medical reports.

I was convinced that this is a real case.

I have to agree that it was not a wise move for the mother to enjoy herself and still blog about it but hey, she is still young.

And would Bernard heal faster by having his mother sit by his side sobbing 24/7?

Would it really?

Does it really matter?

It's a baby's life we are talking about now.

I no longer care whether it's a real or fake case.

Whether it's right or wrong for the mother to go de-stress herself.

Whether she should have seeked help from the dailies or not.

I just don't care anymore.

I only want to do my part to help the little boy.

Looking at the photos of him when he was only a month old with tubes poking him everywhere is enough to create an emotional state in me.

Initially the cost of the operation is USD120K.

But I am glad to say that they have gotten most of the money and is now only short of RM30K.

Please PLEASE help them.

It's not about RM5 or RM5000.

It's about being able to show your concern and kindness towards Bernard and his family.

If you wanna now more about his condition, below are the links :

Bernard's mommy, Michelle Chiam's FB

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=27488&id=100001003631349#!/album.php?aid=27488&id=100001003631349

Her blog (in Chinese)

http://mrswee-michelle21.blogspot.com/

Below are the account numbers if you wish to help them :

MAYBANK

151593075712

Michelle Chiam Sin Ling

MAYBANK

101106124610

Wee Peir Hao

You can also contact/SMS Michelle at 016-7760021

Pleas pray for Bernard.

I really hope he can go thru the operation successfully and become a happy and healthy boy.

My Everyday with Maine

2010-10-02T11:02:00.000-07:00

I still can't believe she is already 19 months!

Can you can you??!

Not gonna update too much like every other month.

Just a little insight on how we two communicate with each other everyday.

Her speech is better but mostly only I can understand what she is talking about.

So everyday, I ask 1001 close-ended questions.

"Maine, do you want some cereal?"

"Maine, do you want to bathe?"

"Maine, do you want to go kai kai?"

"Maine, yadayadayada?"

"Maine, blablablablabla?"

And I consider myself very lucky (at least for now) that she answers each and every question with either a nod or a "NO!"

Because of her, I truly learnt how to treasure my babe.

I am lucky to be having a healthy and happy kid with me and that is all that matters.

Bungalows and new cars and latest gadgets come and go.

Children don't.

Of course she does drive me up the walls, but... I love the make-up part!

Kisses, hugs, sorrys and promises...

Who doesn't love them?

;)

More time, please?

2010-09-21T10:54:00.000-07:00

I have abandoned the blog once again.

There is too much to do and too little time.

I want 48 hours a day can or not??

Please!!!!

Am starting something new soon so hopefully all goes well for me.

Pray hard.

And I used a huge part of my savings for it so it had better work WELL!

Aiseh... I thought I am the one who is supposed to make it work hor?

Paiseh paiseh...

*cuckoo cuckoo*

Yes, I think I am going nuts with the amount of stuffs I have to deal with within a very short period of time.

It's been so long since I last felt this busy.

Guess it's a good thing too :)

Gotta run.

Ta!!

FPOTM - Favourite Photo of the Moment

2010-09-11T11:41:00.000-07:00

I cannot describe how much I *heart* this photo.

Not in words at least.

Thank you Vinc & Lucas!

I am determined to pick up photography and post processing skills NOW!

Terrible Twos?

2010-09-10T09:32:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been thinking a lot.

About how to deal with my 18 month old.

She is cute now.

Planting kisses and hugging me and doing all kinds of cheeky stunts that definitely makes my day.

But she has been very naughty too.

She throws remote controls and whatnots when she knows she shouldn't.

I have nagged and hit her on her palm and scolded and threatened but nothing worked.

Is there any other way I can resolve this?

I am trying to avoid introducing Mr. R to her.

I don't think I can stand to see the fear in her eyes when I raise my hand with R in it.

I can only hope that this is a phase we are going thru and it will be gone very soon.

Maine @ 18 mois

I came, I conquered and I survived

2010-09-07T22:24:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

I am back from KL.

AND I am still breathing!!

I have been back for 2 days liao.

But still recuperating.

My hands are still sore from carrying the bag of beras a.k.a Maine.

But we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless.

I was lucky that the bro went with me.

Else, I will not be here lor :P

And after this trip, even though I know I can handle Maine without my mom, but yet, I will not do this anymore.

Maine missed her Pops so much.

On the first day, when we were waiting to board the train, Maine refused to let her Pops leave.

She cried for awhile and I nursed her to sleep.

Throughout the whole day she would suddenly mention "Popo" and tears rolled down her cheeks.

She missed her Pops so much that when we were in the bus heading back to Ipoh, while I was showing her the video we recorded in Aquaria, tears were rolling down her cheeks again.

She did not say anything, only tears.

I know she seriously miseed the Pops a lot!

My poor girl.

Is she emo or what?

And I really suspect it's due to my cries during pregnancy.

Meanwhile, when we were back home, Pops told us she has never felt so relaxed for a long time :D

So maybe we will do this again afterall :P

Shopped a little only as we cannot afford to handle so many bags + a kid.

The best thing must be my babe's pair of All-Stars!

Now Mummy and Baby can wear same same shoes!! :D

Kids shoes are very expensive nowadays hor?

And their feet keeps growing at lightning pace.

And bought some stuffs from Zara (for myself) too :D

We also went to the Bookfest and bought so many books there.

Silly us!

And an I-Pen for the babe which I later regretted :S

Anyway, we had a great time in Aquaria too!

The babe ooh-ed and ahh-ed and was happily dancing and talking to the fishes and animals :)

Reached home on Tuesday morning @ 3am coz we got cheated by the bus fella.

And before I forget, I must apologize to all the mommies I was supposed to meet.

My bro tagged along and played coolie so I did not have the heart to ask him to go find his own entertainment while I pot pet with you girls. Neither do I have the heart to ask him to join me for the pot pet session. It will probably bore him to death :P

Next round ;)

AND!

Selamat Hari Raya to everyone and enjoy your holidays :)

What turf??!!!

2010-09-03T07:31:00.000-07:00

UPDATED : I booked the hotel!! So it's a confirmed trip now :) Will be staying in Maytower Hotel (Jalan Munshi Abdullah). I wanna meet mommies!!!!!!! All of you! Sunday evening ok? ;) I will be back to Ipoh on Monday evening tho as I think Maine would miss her Pops a lot and vice versa. So no more Ikea and no more BookXcess. Good also, I don't need to worry about bringing stuffs back :)

Here I am telling people I will be going to KL but yet I have done nothing about the trip.

My plan is to go on Sunday and back to Ipoh on Tuesday.

Main purpose of the trip?

Let's not even go there.

I am longing to go there but yet there are so many obstacles.

Should I drive?

No. Coz it's impossible for the little one to sit still throughout the journey.

She will go, 'Mimimimimi nen nen nen nen nen' all the way to KL.

And nope, my babe cannot doze off on her own without her fix.

But then, if I don't drive then how should I be travelling around har?

I cannot be staying in the hotel throughout the 3 days hai mai?

I want to go Aquaria KLCC.

I want to go Pavillion.

I want to go Ikea. (Stupid choice considering I am not driving and it's impossible to buy stuffs back right?)

I want to go Daiso and Sungai Wang.

And shopping with my ex-colleagues.

And hopefully to meet up with a few mommies too.

So how?

I think I will take the train lor.

And stay in the city instead of Subang.

Travel around by taxis.

And how should I pack?

Nothing?

Or stuff everything into a backpack?

Coz there's no way I can handle a luggage bag, a kid and a back pack.

And don't buy anything.

Then what's the purpose of my trip there leh?

Aiyaaaaaaaa!!!

I remember there weren't this much to consider about before going for a short trip to KL or Penang.

Now, with a kid, everything seems... impossible.

Oh by the way, Pops is not coming.

I haven't even book the hotel.

-.-

And I feel Aunt Flo is gonna come these few days and bug me.

I am determined to make this trip happen tho.

Sunday it will be then.

Wish me luck!

Phuket 21st-25th August 2010

2010-08-29T12:04:00.000-07:00

EDITTED : I really did not pay a single cent for the acommodation. And they added in a complimentary shuttle for us (from and to airport). The package is really attractive as it's a long term thing (46 years). Best of all, the staffs really warm your heart. They are forever smiling and cheerful :) To be entitled for the free acommodation, there are a few terms and conditions. I am not sure if I should share them here but it's better for you guys to contact Adrine directly. She is very friendly and I promise she won't bite :p

We are back from a very tiring but pleasant trip in Phuket.

Day 1

Woke up early at 5.07am to prepare for our early bus ride to LCCT.

Maine was a little petrified when she was inside the bus and slept throughout the journey.

This is the 2nd time she slept without the boob and the Pops also mad happy lor :P

Arrived at the airport at 8++am and walked around.

Had breakfast at Old Town Kopitiam while waiting for my cousin, her hubby and son Carlo to arrive from Kota Kinabalu.

They arrived and joined us for breakfast and after we were done, we did the necessary before boarding the plane.

Maine was ok with the flight and slept thru again :)

Arrived in Phuket International airport after 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Was chauffeured to the Marriott Vacation Club.

Checked in and the place was mad awesome!!!!

Too bad we did not manage to stay in their 2 bedroom villa with private pool.

Had lunch at The Coffee Club.

Changed the kids and went to the pool.

Was pretty tired and stayed in the villa and had instant noodles for dinner before we retired for the night.

Day 2

We rented a van for 3500 THB for the day.

Went shopping at Jungceylon and Central Festival Phuket.

Bought lots of groceries as we will not be going out the next day.

Went uphill to see the Big Buddha.

The kids were well behaved and napped in the van without much fuss.

On the way downhill, we dropped by to see the elephants.

I am not very into shows and rides involving animals as I feel they are quite inhumane, thus I did not let Maine go for the elephant trekking.

But we did feed the baby elephant some bananas.

Not free. 100THB for a basket of bananas.

We went to the weekend market later on in the evening.

Dabao-ed a lot of local delicacies to be savoured in our villa ;)

Borrowed some dvds and slept.

Day 3

Rained from morning til night.

Pops cooked tomyam bihun for lunch and some dishes for dinner.

At 12++ pm, we took the shuttle to JW Marriott for our Marriott Vacation Club presentation.

We were impressed with the club membership and nearly signed up the very same day.

We are still considering as my parents prefer to travel with tour agencies (in groups) and if we were to sign up, they will have to travel by themselves.

But still, it's for 46 years and the Pops cannot resist not getting it for her beloved grand-daughter -.-

Anyway, we ARE still considering.

Anyway, back to the trip.

In the evening, we brought the kids down to the pool for a quick dip as it was still drizzling.

Went back to the villa and had dinner.

Watched dvds again before we went to sleep.

Day 4

We booked a 1/2 day tour for 5 adults and 2 babies to Khai Islands.

Our driver got us a discount (1000THB per person, kids under 3 is FOC)

He picked us up at 9.30am and sent us to Natural Restaurant to have our brunch.

Food was good and not too expensive.

After that, we went to get some souvenirs from Pornthip.

The stuffs were very expensive and we only bought very little.

Since we had some time to kill, we dropped by Tesco Lotus to shop ;)

I had another Samurai Pork Burger here -.-

And also got 2 big bottles of J&J's Anti-mosquito lotion.

We then proceeded to the pier and waited for the boat to arrive.

Khai Nok, Khai Nak and Khai something.

Got stung by a jellyfish and it was mad itchy.

The little one was of course very happy that she can play with sand and see fishes.

Went back to the pier and changed the babe.

The emak's baju was soaked with pee.

I had no choice but to wear my swimsuit with a cardigan and shorts.

I went shopping at Jungceylon in this outfit.

Had dinner at Food Haven.

Bought the stuffs we wanted and headed for the villa.

We had to pack as we had an early flight to catch on the next day.

By the time we were done with packing and putting the kids to sleep, it was already 11++ pm.

Woke up at 5am the next day as our flight back to Malaysia was at 8.15am local time.

Reached Ipoh at 3++ pm.

NOTE : If anyone's interested for a free 4 day 3 nights stay at Marriott, kindly email Adrine at adrineong(at)yahoo.co.uk

Am flying off

2010-08-21T10:28:00.000-07:00

for our very first overseas trip together.

Also her first flight and her first bus ride.

Hopefully will be able to enjoy ourselves and I promised her that I will allocate all my attention to her.

Which means I will not be going online.

Well, maybe Facebook a bit la, coz I am THAT kaypoh :p

But definitely no blog-hopping until we are back on Wednesday :)

Enjoy the weekend peeps! :)

Car Repairs

2010-08-16T11:46:00.000-07:00

I am lucky when it comes to car repairs as my dad is a mechanic. Any problems, I just need to inform my dad and he sends my car for all sorts of repairs including head gasket replacement. I save a lot by not sending my car elsewhere for repair or services :)

If you are staying in the US of A, you may wanna check out Los Angeles auto repair. They offer a wide range of repairs for most car models and makes. If I ever have the chance to migrate there, I will definitely check them out!

Oh... which reminds me. I had better call up my dad to send our Honda Civic for a service before we drive off for a short holiday.

B*tch

2010-08-16T10:05:00.003-07:00

Show encrypted text

2010-08-16T03:32:00.000-07:00

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I AM HAPPY

2010-08-13T03:24:00.000-07:00

Recently I have been *sort of* getting a lot of sympathy from people around me.

Somehow, they feel that I am very ke lian.

From a close cousin's husband... from an ex-classmate... from strangers...

I am thankful that people care.

But, it's not THAT bad.

I love my life right now.

SERIOUSLY.

It's better than ever.

I have someone that I truly love.

Someone who loves me for who I am.

Someone who gives me kisses throughout the day.

Someone who gives me hugs when I need one.

What more can I ask for?

I never thought I would say this but maybe I should thank the jerk.

If not for him, I wouldn't be a mom now.

If not for him, I wouldn't know that I can love someone so much.

If not for him, I wouldn't have grown up so fast.

If not for him, I wouldn't be living such a fabulous life.

I do not think of myself as a strong mom but I believe I am blessed with my supportive parents and brother.

Without them, I cannot be staying home.

Without them, I can only imagine how Maine grew up because I would have missed watching her growing years.

Without them, I wouldn't be breastfeeding Maine up until now which resulted to a slimmer me wearing a pair of size 25 Levi's without struggling to breathe.

Hehe...must boast a little bit. I have only worn size 25 once when I was 19. I couldn't breathe and gave the pair of Levi's away :(

The point is, I am happy. Don't feel pity for me because I am not working and I have no income and I gotto take care of my kid by myself.

Feel happy for me instead because I manage to survive up until now :)

Thank you for your concerns.

I truly appreciate them :)

RANTS!!

2010-08-12T09:14:00.000-07:00

WARNING : RANT COZ I BEH TAHAN EDI. SCROLL DOWN FOR HAPPY POST.

Recently, I have been feeling very annoyed.

Not with da babe.

Ummm... maybe sometimes.

But still bearable.

Annoyed with the people in the service industry.

Hates lansi people!!

HATES!!!

Hey! Your job is to provide service and yet you treat me like shit. I did not pay is it???!

And not to mention stupid people who don't think first before they talk to their customers.

Hello!! I am the customer or are you???!

So fed-up at times I just feel like changing the amount that I have to pay to 1 cents and make them count until dawn!!

Yes I am wicked.

When you treat me like shit.

Is it because my tolerance level has decreased to zero?

Maybe even negative.

I donno.

And remember I mentioned about our mother-daughter photoshoot a few posts back?

I am waiting for the outcome of it.

It IS gonna be shitty and I am sure gonna make a big fuss over it because it's SHITTY.

Wait la for my update.

Sien. End of rant.

CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe I should change the way I see things to make myself feel better.

Yes, I really think I should.

~END~

But still, these people need to renew their
online hospitality management degree. Looking into this
http://www.guidetoonlineschools.com will really help them help us.

Meeting up with Elaine & family and Claire

2010-08-11T10:03:00.000-07:00

Last week, before I went to Genting, I met up with Elaine and her pretty girl Amber.

They were going to Cameron and had dropped by Ipoh for breakfast.

We met at the ever famous Sun Yuen Loong.

And Claire curi curi came out to curi curi meet up with us.

Oh, I think she also curi curi eat another breakfast on the same day. (Claire, correct me if I am wrong :P)

Tho this is the 1st time we met, we all clicked instantly and pot pet like nobody's business.

It was so syiok coz it has been a looooooooong time since I last pot pet-ed.

And Claire... although we both stay in Ipoh, we never went out for makan makan or minum minum together before.

I think we both feel shy la :P

Some photos from the breakfast session (credits to E's hubs):

Elaine, Amber and Claire. Love Amber's sweet smile. Cute!!!

The lady standing beside me in purple is not my mum. She is my breakfast kaki a.k.a Maine's KaiPo a.k.a Claire's ex-classmate. Small world eh?

Elaine, it was nice to meet up with you and your hubs and Amber.

And I have to apologise on my mum's behalf for such a big mistake. Hehe...she only saw 'her' for 5 minutes tops and continued shopping. Confirm she cannot remember who is who.

*inside joke of the century*

I can hear some of you's evil laughter

*cough, Barb, cough* *cough, Annie, cough*

LOL I am so boh liao!

OH!!! And thanks for the goodies too!! They were so delish that even my picky eater chomped down many pieces :))))

Claire, we should do this more hor? Why Ipoh bloggers donch come out wan???

Our Chio Passport Holders!!!

2010-08-10T08:50:00.000-07:00

Nice leh??

Hop over to LvBeii's handmade shop for more adorable items NAO!!

The prices are very reasonable too!!

Eerie or not??!

2010-08-07T09:11:00.000-07:00

Just back from a short trip to Genting (again!)

It's the 3rd time in 7 months' time.

Well, we went because my parents wanted to watch The Wynner's concert and I managed to win a pair of tix for them!!!

We stayed in FWH as we only had to pay RM50 per room and I donno why but when I checked in the staff did not give me interconnecting rooms!!

And so I had to stay in 1 bedroom with Maine while the grandparents were just next door.

We dropped our luggage in our rooms and took a quick shower before we went out for dinner and then the grandparents went for the concert while Maine and I went for the indoor theme park rides.

We went back to our rooms at 11++ pm.

I nursed Maine to sleep while I watched I Am Sam until 2++ am.

I turned off the tv and wanted to go to bed but Maine jolted and woke up from her sleep.

Played with her a while and continued nursing her to sleep.

It was already 3am by now and just when I wanted to sleep, Maine again jolted.

She took my hand and led me to the bathroom and wanted me to stand there with her. =.='''

I told her there's nothing there and she requested to play with the hotel phone.

I let her.

She picked up the phone and started sobbing.

O.M.G!!!

I wasted no time and changed and practically ran out the door.

Brought her to jalan jalan even though it's nearly 4 am.

Went to McD and spent some time flipping thru magazines with her.

And 4++ am I took her back to the room and nursed her to sleep.

She woke up at 8++ am and immediately wanted to leave the room to go to Pop's room.

I brought her there and told Pops what happened.

We decided to pack and check-out.

I was still packing when the grandparents rang our doorbell.

Da babe immediately wanted Pops to carry her out of the room and refused to come in no matter how we bribed her.

We left immediately.

So, haunted or what?

I donno but Maine loves staying in hotel rooms. Just not this particular one.

And she has never behaved like this before.

AND I am not the superstitious type.

Nursery Hunting

2010-07-31T07:07:00.000-07:00

Today, we went nursery-hunting with the Pops after we had breakfast.

It was nearly 12pm by the time we finished breakfast and done with grocery shopping.

Not exactly the right time being a Saturday.

But still, we finally found the right one.

The 1st one that we went to was Taska XXX.

I was wearing a V-neck spaghetti top and the lady principal kept staring at my boobs dammit!!

And NO, it was not deep-V.

That aside, I also think that the teachers are a tad too... chou lou.

And the fees were not cheap considering the area and facilities.

Plus!! The principal stared at my boobs!!!!

And so off we went to the 2nd one.

The place was HUGE!

So huge when we went exploring, I nearly got lost =.=

I also love the cleanliness (got strong Dettol smell) and the friendly principal who told me that I should continue bf-ing Maine until she's 2 to strengthen her immune system.

And the playground is super huge.

The toys were plentiful and of good brands somemore.

And best of all the fees are not too expensive!

Not the cheapest but still it is the best one I've found so far.

But there is 1 downside.

We are only in the waiting list. Until January =.=

So I guess, no choice but to sabar until January lor.

It's still better than to send her to Nursery A for a few months then switch her to Nursery B and cause her more confusion.

NOTE : Encryption code removed as I don't have time to email out the code to everyone. Will write a post on how to do the encryption A.S.A.P :)

The Story of Mommy Monkey and Baby Monkey

2010-07-28T22:51:00.000-07:00

Note : I am jotting down events that I find amusing and worth remembering as I find that Maine is growing up faster than I ever thought she would. My memory is failing me and I hope that I can come back to this blog and fall in love with her all over again (when I feel unloved). These posts are NOT meant to boast how smart or how obedient she is (OK la, I do think that she is smart simply because she is my daughter ma)

The other day, while I was driving home with Maine, she 'requested' to go visit her good friends at our second home.

Ok la, she would put her hands together and move them left and right like how a fish would swim.

Whenever she does this, it means that :

a) She wanna listen to 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 once I caught a fish alive song. OR

b) She wanna go visit her good friends.

Her good friends are called that because the mother (read : ME) will buy some fish feeds and bread for her to feed them.

She loves the place and the feedings so much that we nearly go there EVERYDAY!

There was once, a whole buncha monkeys were there.

It was a weekend and there were quite a lot of tourists.

We saw a mother monkey carrying a baby monkey and without much thinking, I asked Maine, "Maine, can you see the mommy monkey carrying the baby monkey? Just like how Mommy is carrying you now hai mai? Maine, WHERE IS THE MOMMY MONKEY?'

She used her index finger and landed it right on my nose.

WHAT??!! SO NOW I AM A MOMMY MONKEY?????!!!!

People were looking and I could tell they were trying super hard not to laugh.

Of course, me being me, I wouldn't lose out to her like that!!

I quickly added, 'If I am Mommy monkey then you are my baby monkey' with the same index finger pointing at her nose.

*sigh*

Motherhood... is indeed interesting eh?

Video : She Says S-T-A-R ;)

2010-07-27T04:57:00.000-07:00

Chermaine @ 17 months and 4 days ol'

Mainey @ 17 mois

2010-07-25T12:27:00.000-07:00

Uh-oh! Have been so long since I last updated Maine's blog.

Keep procrastinating and I was actually busy with some stuffs lately.

Even Sasha was telling me that I have not been on MSN as often nowadays.

Yup... Maine is basically still very much afraid of being left alone after the daycare trauma previously.

Her memory sometimes really amazes me.

She can remember the promises I made to her and she will keep bugging me until she gets what I promised her.

She is this little piece of sponge absorbing informations every single minute.

She has accidentally blurted out in sentences.

And food intake has been good ;)

Pops even told me today that when she fed Maine rice with soup, Maine was so fast the Pops could not catch up. And after she was done, Maine wanted more.

Thank you God for answering my prayers.

Just proves that when she's ready, she's ready. And when she's not, she's not.

Now what the heck am I mumbling about again?

Ha! Blame it on the milk tea I had just now. It's 3.14 am now and I can't sleep.

*ahem* Back to Maine.

She has gained quite a lot of weight ever since she started taking more solids.

August will be a busy month for us.

Our 1st official photoshoot as mother and daughter on the 8th.

An important dinner on the 14th.

And a holiday from the 21st to 25th.

So I have to get her passport done very soon.

Hopefully within next week.

And then to get some old school balloons and huge lollipops and mother-daughter tees for the photoshoot.

She will only start her daycare after we come back from our holiday as I don't wanna risk having a sick baby.

Afterall, it is her first time boarding a plane.

Hopefully she does not create a big scene.

That's all for now. Will try to update soonest.

Have a nice week ahead!!!

:)

P/S : No photos again as I am darn lazy to lug out the DSLR :p

Of Maine and her nursing patterns

2010-07-13T04:42:00.000-07:00

I don't know where she has learnt all these from but she's really giving me headaches.

All these while, she nurses well and I am ok with being a human pacifier to her.

But recently, she has started this new pattern of drinking that makes me wanna just wean her off and give her formula instead.

1. When she wants to nurse, she will tug on my clothes while saying Nen-nen.

I will then let her latch on.

But before she latches on, she wants to hold on to something.

Keys, toys, pens, paper, anything.

Like dictionaries, encyclopedias and books heavier than her.

Then she will latch on and take 2 SIPS.

Yes only 2 sips!!

Then she will sit up and do her thing only to come back a few minutes later asking for another round of 2-sips.

This can continue for the whole day.

Do you know how frustrating this can be???!

2. And the other day, she found this :

And decided that my NN will ~~taste~~ look better cupped with this.

*faints*

3. She gave me the shock of my life one day!

Was nursing her as usual.

She suddenly unlatched, picit picit my NN and told me, "Mou (none)".

With the 'no more' hand gesture somemore.

I thought I had no more milk to supply her with.

But then, when I picit, still got la.

Cheeky or not my babe?

Well, at the time of writing this post, Project Wean-off has been resumed.

But in a real sloooooooooooow manner.

I plan to wean her off very very gradually.

2 months if it needs to be that long.

Hopefully not.

She's driving me nuts.

God, please give me enough strength to survive thru bf-ing.

Sekian, terima kasih.

Nana at 16 months ol'

2010-07-09T23:33:00.000-07:00

Yes, she calls herself Nana.

Because the Pops and AhGong call her that.

The other day, we were looking at her photos and I asked her who is this while pointing to a younger version of her.

"Nana!" She replied with a silly grin.

And her current favourite word is duck duck.

Oh, Project Wean-off is currently put on hold as she is having flu and cough.

Shall resume when she is well again.

Have found another daycare for her.

A little further from our home but I think it is a better one compared to the ones we have near our place.

Most probably will be sending her there next month.

I will be there to accompany her for 2 whole months.

At least until she's familiar with the teachers and friends.

Oh, and this daycare has a different pricing for single moms.

And I also love their playground which is a major thing for my Maine.

Ever since I got my DSLR, I have been taking lesser photos of Maine.

I no longer carry a camera with me at all times like I used to.

I try to shoot mostly at home but it'as getting boring with the same kind of photos.

Shall really consider bringing it out more often.

Back to Maine.

She is definitely a vain pot.

Every night before she sleeps, she will want to take out her shoes and put on each and every pair.

Then catwalk from our room to the living room.

Demanding claps and cheers from everyone.

*slaps forehead*

Then 1 time she saw me putting on a bangle during the day.

The very same night, she saw the bangle lying on my dressing table.

She took it and put it around her wrist.

*slaps forehead again*

OH!!

And when she has new clothes, she will ask me to put them on for her and catwalk around the house too.

Aiyo, where did she learn all these from?

*coughs, Pops, coughs*

She is still very shy with strangers.

Fierce at times.

Try touching her without her consent, she will give you an angry 'hmmm'

I have been reminding her that she cannot do this... but she still does.

Ever since the daycare episode, she is now sticking to me like a leech.

My usual 15 minutes' showers have now been drastically reduced to 5 minutes.

Like mandi kerbau.

Oh, and if you are thinking, "At least you can shower peacefully"

You are so wrong.

Da lil monster will be right outside, banging the bathroom door while chanting, "MAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMA" until you come out.

I used to ba able to sneak out and leave her with Pops for a good 2 hours.

Now?

If you are out of her range for 1 minute, she will scream! Which is not that big a deal except that the Pops has been telling me, "You don't leave without her."

BUMMER!

But 1 good thing is...

She has started to eat porridge!!!!!

Pops has been religiously cooking porridge for her lil girl and the lil girl will down big spoonfuls and make the Pops a very happy granma.

She is still a very picky eater tho.

If you put anything 'strange' in her porridge, be prepared to finish the pot of porridge for her.

Even though she is one cheeky litle toddler, I still love her for who she is.

The hugs and kisses and loves that she has given me makes me a very proud and happy momma.

Happy 16 months old baby girl!!

Confessions of a Shopaholic :)

2010-07-06T22:28:00.000-07:00

Ok, a quick update before cheeky wakes up from her super short nap.

I shop.

A lot.

No...

Everyday should be a more appropriate word.

Now that I have to stay home more often, I shop online.

Thank God there are a lot of online stores around to keep me sane from being a SAHM.

I bought a little something from this hardworking mommy.

Nice hor?

She also sells modish clothes for ladies at very affordable prices!!

Do check out her online store NAO!!

I am already eyeing on a few other pieces for my BaoBei Maine :)

Oh, on another side note, I am still not able to leave comments on your blogs.

Please bear with me as I have a sticky leech with me who refuses to let me have my fair share of Me-time.

I used to be able to comment using my Nokia E63 while I nurse Maine but somehow, I don't know why I am not able to do that anymore :(

It just pops back to another screen when I click the comment button.

Hopefully, I will be able to get back some Me-time soon.

Have a nice day, everyone :)

Down with Rotavirus

2010-07-01T22:24:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, Maine had terrible diarrhea which just got worse and worse.

I had to bring her to the Paed's.

The moment we stepped out of the Paed's, she vomitted :(

After coming home with the meds, she had slight fever.

Took her nap but her fever never subsided despite being fed with paracetamol.

I called the Paed again to check and was told to bring Maine back to his office for another check.

Was advised by him to admit Maine to the hospital for some tests, but I told him that I will monitor her til later.

She was getting weaker and weaker and we admitted her to Ipoh Specialist Hospital at 5am.

Paed arrived at 6+am and I was told that he needed to do blood test on Maine.

He poked thrice on Maine's left and right hand but still couldn't get it right.

I couldn't hold back my own tears and cried along with Maine.

The fear in her eyes.

Begging me to get her out of there.

I will never ever forget that moment.

*sobs*

In the end, he managed to get enough blood at Maine's right foot.

She had to be on drip as her water supply was very low which might cause her to be dehydrated.

Test result came back the next day and she was diagnosed with Rotavirus.

She rested well thru out the 2 days stay at the hospital but by the day we were supposed to be discharged, I was vomitting and had diarrhea.

I had Rotavirus.

*sigh*

And the cheeky wanted me to carry her all around the children's ward for kiddie rides and playgrounds and fish-watching.

I did something embarrasing.

I was carrying Maine towards the kiddie ride when I felt a sudden urge to vomit.

The darn WC was really too far away for me.

I had no choice but to vomit at the corridor.

*double sigh*

The bill came up to RM1037.00 for a 1 and a half night stay.

She has been felling better but still has diarrhea.

It will take her another few days before she can fully recover.

Thank you all for the concern and prayers.

I have been silently blog-hopping all this while as I have my hands full on millions of things.

Just hope that I can fully recover soon.

Really soon.

Updates

2010-06-21T03:51:00.000-07:00

This morning, I woke Maine up at 6.45am and got her ready to leave for daycare.

She was alright the whole journey and was laughing and smiling and singing in the car with me.

When we reached, I nursed her and told her that Mummy will come and fetch her home later.

She even answered me, 'Mmm'

When I brought her in, the teacher took her from me.

She refused and struggled but the teacher still manage to take her and she cried.

I told her I love her and left while holding back tears.

I burst the moment I stepped out of the daycare.

I reached the kindy I was supposed to teach in and Hi-ed to the teachers.

Rushed to the washroom and cried.

I just could not hold back my tears.

I just felt horrible at that moment.

How can I develop so much feelings for a little creature like this??!

I called my mum and poured everything out.

She told me that if I don't learn to let go, she'll never grow.

And that made me a little better.

My students were all very good too.

Greeting me with Good Morning-s even though they do not know who I am.

I called to check on Maine and was told that she had stopped crying but she wanted the teachers to carry her.

*slaps forehead*

After about 15 minutes, the headmistress of the kindy told me that Maine was crying hysterically at the daycare.

She then said that I should go and get her back and to wait until she's older.

I apologized and left immediately to get her.

Actually, I think she has a problem with me going to the daycare during the kindy's recess time as I need to nurse Maine.

*shrugs*

And so, I officially announced that our Plan A has failed.

Moving on to Plan B.

I will be searching for a daycare near our place next week and spend about a month or two there with her until she is familiar with the people there.

From then on, hopefully I will be able to get a full-time job.

Parenting is about learning to let go... So why am I feeling like sh*t right now?

2010-06-19T12:22:00.000-07:00

I am awake at 3a.m blogging now as I am feeling really terrible.

Just thinking of how Maine is gonna cope on Monday without me is really making me cry buckets.

Yes, I am the one crying.

I feel totally useless all of a sudden.

Am I pushing her to grow up too soon?

Am I?

She is only 16 months after all.

I know I should be strong in order for her to be strong for all these but I can't help it.

I am so sorry for boring you all with all my rants but I have to get this off my chest.

I only have here to voice out my thoughts and feelings.

And I really have to thank you all who left supportive comments here and in FB.

It helps to make me feel a little less shitty.

THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN.

I know somehow Maine will be able to adapt to the big change.

But now is a really tough time for the both of us.

I need some opinions.

Should I go nurse Maine on Monday during my break-time?

Or let the teachers feed her formula?

I am totally afraid that if I go meet her halfway, she will feel even worst.

But if I don't, she will be crying for 5 hours straight without any food.

Her 1st Day at the DayCare

2010-06-18T22:12:00.000-07:00

On Thursday 17th June I sent her to the daycare for about 45 minutes. I was there the whole time to let her know that she'll be alright there.

The next day, she spent about an hour or so. I hid but less than 5 minutes, she started wailing. I re-appeared and told her it was alright. And continued to stay there with her.

Today, I woke her up at 7.30am, got her ready and left the house with Pops at 8.10am. We kept reminding her that we will come pick her up at 11am. Once we reached DC, I sent her in and told her to be good and I will be back very soon and gave her a peck on the cheek.

I left my contact number and told the teachers to contact me if they can't handle her.

Pops and I went for breakfast and I made Pops mad by asking her all sorts of questions that made her worry.

While we were having breakfast, Pops told me she has not felt so at peace every since Maine's arrival.

To some extent, I do agree but deep down I felt a little heartache.

We did some marketing and went to check back on Maine at 10.50am.

I could hear her cries even before I stepped out of my car.

When she saw me, she didn't smile. She didn't wave. And she didn't cry.

She just sobbed.

Two caterpillars running down her nose.

The teacher told me she cried right after I left and until the moment I came back.

I felt like crying there and then.

I was told she took the office phone and started chanting Mama Mama.

And she pulled the teachers' hands and pointed towards the gates as if to tell them I wanna find Mama.

We left and I nursed her immediately when we were in the car.

She just kept quiet and stared blankly.

I offered her some candies and she was her happy self again.

Next Monday, I will be starting work at 7.45am and will only be able to pick her up at 12.45pm.

5 hours!

This is so hard for me to go thru.

To be parting with her for so many hours and not knowing what is going on.

And not being able to nurse her when she needs me.

I have to gather enough strength to overcome my sadness.

Hope the crying will end very soon.

Nen nen!!

2010-06-13T22:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Maine and I accompanied Pops to a sinseh's place.

Maine was very comfortable with the Uncle and before we left, she pointed at the topless Uncle Sinseh and said :

NEN NEN!!

*faints*

Luckily the Uncle Sinseh was easy-going and laughed while telling her, "No no... this nen nen no milk wan. You want nen nen go find Mummy."

I really felt like korek-ing a hole and burying myself in it.

Time to teach her the Magic word.

Or time to wean her off?

HAHAHAHAHA!!

Maine, Maine... *shakes head*

Mainey at 15 Months Ol'

2010-06-04T06:29:00.000-07:00

She has started to be very demanding nowadays.

If things don't go her way, she will scream on top of her lungs.

She has learnt the effectiveness of throwing a tantrum when she wants things done her way.

Whenever I tell her NO, she will walk far far away from me, then look back towards me, make a big fuss while plopping down on the floor, rubbing her feet to express her dissatisfaction.

I have tried ignoring her, smacking her, scolding her and talking sense into her.

But none of this really worked.

The best is still to distract her with something else before she throws her tantrum.

She understands most of the things we tell her.

And she expresses herself pretty well.

i.e When she wants her vitamins, she will hold my hand and lead me to the fridge. She will point with her finger and tells me, "Men men (min min)".

She is now in the 'cute' mode whereby when you tell her a new word she will try to repeat after you but it sounds nothing like what you said.

The other day I was trying to teach her to say Kau-Fu, but she ended up saying bok bok and still gave me a triumphant grin.

She still prefers books to TV and I hope it continues for as long as possible.

The bestest thing of all... she will give me a peck when she wakes up in the morning.

And when she wants something from me.

And when she hit me and I give her the 'stare'

And when I ask for one.

Overall, I think she has grown up a lot during the past month.

She suddenly knows a lot of things compared to last month.

I was telling everyone last month that Maine is considered a very 'guai' baby.

BUT!

I will definitely not say the same this month

We will be going for a 2 day 1 night short holiday with my cousins this Sunday.

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Today...

2010-06-01T11:07:00.000-07:00

is 1 of those days when I feel like I'm the worst mom on Earth.

My girl landed face down on the cold hard tiles.

We were at the bank earlier today to update on my new mobile number and I let her suck on a piece of fruit while seated on the chair.

I was right next to her and I was waiting for someone to service me.

I think I must have been have transparent because no one seem to see me sitting there right in the middle of the banking hall with a chatty toddler.

Maine must have been too engrossed with her piece of fruit (and obviously I was too engrossed with scanning for someone to help me update my contact), that she fell face down on the floor with a loud thud.

Followed by wails.

And a red forehead.

And a red nose that is still red after 12 hours.

I over-estimated that my 15 month old toddler can take care of herself.

That she knows if she fell, it will be painful.

I forgot the fragile part of her.

And I forgot the most basic thing about being a parent - to make sure it's safe enough.

Today will end soon and I hope that tomorrow will be a better day for Maine and myself.

Tomorrow, I will try to remember how tiny she (still) is and to protect her with all my might.

Tomorrow, I will be a better mother.

sheEats

2010-05-26T21:18:00.000-07:00

Maine has never been a good eater since I started introducing solids to her after she turned 6 months.

I have tried porridge, cereals, bananas, apple purees and everything else.

She either refused to open her mouth or if the food does get its way into her mouth, she will spit it out.

It was really frustrating for me back then as I was worried sick about her NOT gaining weight.

And it didn't help when people keep telling me that she cannot just survive on breastmilk.

Not to forget some negative comments I got from 'some' people that she is really slow simply because Maine was not interested in taking solids.

I have to really thank my mum for telling me to be patient with Maine and not force-feed her.

I am glad I took her advise and stop fretting about it.

I kept on trying and trying until 1 day, I thought I should stop trying and let her tell me when she is ready instead.

Indeed, it's true that they say when she's ready, she's ready.

In April (slightly over 14 months old), when we were in KL for 2 days, she walloped a small bowl of rice with gravy.

From then on, she is more willing to eat rice. Sometimes with soup, sometimes with gravy.

She has yet to take any veggies and meat but as said earlier, I will let her decide when she is ready.

Other than rice, she takes bananas, grapes, biscuits, breads, fishballs, noodles (she simply LOVES noodles), yoghurt, Vitagen (she prefers this than Yakult), raisins, fresh milk (she hates formula), and has started to show interest with corn.

There are days when she doesn't feel like eating anything, I will offer her what we have at home and if she doesn't want it, I won't force her to.

She has not been drinking much from me either.

In fact, I will say she has cut down a LOT on breastmilk, maybe only 3 to 4 feedings during the day.

Sometimes, I do worry that she doesn't get enough nutrient.

But she convinces me that she is doing just fine by being ever so active and healthy.

And I do hope that she continues to explore other types of food.

A New Routine for Maine and Myself

2010-05-24T17:49:00.000-07:00

A close friend called me up last night and offered me a job which I think is something I would never dream of doing.

A kindy teacher.

A KINDY TEACHER!

I agreed to it for I think it will be a good opportunity for Maine.

Yes, for Maine.

The principal (which is my friend's future MIL) said it was ok for me to bring Maine and put her at the daycare which I heard is 2 minutes' drive from the kindy.

So, during tea-break, I will be walking over there to nurse Maine and make sure she is doing alright.

It is only temporary as the kindy needs a replacement from 1st of July until November.

I will be going there on the 21st of June and learn from another senior teacher as moi has got Z-E-R-O experience in teaching leh...

The official date will be 1st of July.

A few days before 21st June, I will be bringing Maine to the daycare and see how she adapts to this.

The pay is a lot a LOT lesser than what I used to earn, but I am looking at it as someone paying for my petrol allowance to send Maine to their kindy while I entertain other kids from 7.30am to 12.30pm.

Yes, I can back-out in case Maine dislikes the daycare. I just gotta tell them earlier so that they have ample time to search for another replacement.

Before I was offered this job, I was thinking of going back to work in August/September. As for Maine, I will be sending her to the daycare from 8.30am to 12.30pm. I will be fetching her home during my lunch break and PoPo will look after her until Mummy comes back from work.

This simply means I have to put her at the daycare whether she likes it or not.

Sad ler... But I really have to get on with life and start earning an income.

Now with this kindy job coming along the way, Maine can take her time to slowly adapt to a new routine.

I can only pray hard that she likes this place, or else, I really have to crack my head on what to do.

Another problem is... we have to leave our house by 7am.

Maine's current wake-up time is 9.30am.

Oopppsss...

And mind you, she sleeps early at night. As early as 8.30pm every night.

Guess I will have to drag her huh?

Really hope that this will work out well.

Wish me luck, friends.

Me? A kindy teacher?

Seriously?!!

Have a nice day, everyone!

The Case of The Missing Astro Remote Control

2010-05-23T21:16:00.000-07:00

The other day, we had guests over for dinner.

After dinner, we all sat in the living room to watch some programme airing on Astro AEC.

When it was time to switch to another channel, we couldn't locate the remote control.

Search up and down, left and right...

BOH!!!

Aiya... have to buy new control tim...

Kept on searching until the next day...

Still BOH!!

Then, PoPo asked Maine if she took it.

Maine kept quiet... too quiet in fact.

Guess where we found the control?

She threw it into the garbage bin.

Now, I am suspecting she threw my spare phone into the garbage bin too...

I have been looking for it for quite some time now.

Thank God I Got To Know Her Thru Blogosphere

2010-05-18T01:52:00.000-07:00

Know which HER I meant?

None other than the beautiful Sasha la...

After she did my sling, I mafarn-ed her to design a new header for my blog.

At first, I had wanted it to be of our real pictures.

But after awhile, I was thinking of asking her to do an animated one because of the minimal-exposure thing Maine is going thru now.

And before I could tell her, she was already done with my new header.

And like, just 2 days ago, she told me she got loads of other stuffs to design and that I can take my time to select the photo I want to use.

Efficient or what??!

And when I looked at the end product, there was this warm happy feeling all over me.

I was THAT happy.

She told me her lingkum came and thus she changed it to an animated one.

And was I glad that her lingkum came.

She even added a wink for me.

And when I had problem changing the header, she helped me by answering all my idiotic questions.

Do drop her an email or two if you guys are interested.

She not only does headers, she designs banners and brochures and much more.

She does pretty pots of flowers too!

And hurry up as she only has a pair of hands... You might have to wait if the orders start pouring in.

Same same face eh?

2010-05-17T18:03:00.000-07:00

Do we look alike?

On the left is moi when I was donno-how-many-years-old.

And on the right is Maine.

I definitely think we do look very much alike.

Maybe I should start searching for some customized t-shirts for the both of us and pretend to be twins.

You know, while she still doesn't know how to say no :P

And since it's the soccer season, maybe I should get some soccer tshirts for Fei-Kau-Fu as well.

But the most wanted item in my list will be personalized tshirts for the whole family.

Imagine wearing those all at the same time.

I am sure we will get a lot of stares :D

My Kid and My Furkids

2010-05-15T20:34:00.000-07:00

Maine is an animal lover. Anything that moves will fascinate her mucho.

Although it is hard to kidnap her as she is very very shy, but if you try bribing her with animals, she will be more than willing to let you carry her :D

So far, Maine gets along very well with her dogs.

Kiki is one of the best dogs I have ever met.

She is ever so gentle with Maine, never makes a lot of sounds, is playful enough to help me entertain Maine when I am not free and she knows where she should poo & pee.

Maine is very 'yuk gen' when she's playing with Kiki.

To the extent of pulling Kiki's fur but Kiki never bites her.

She has not gave me much problems except the bi-monthly groomer's visits which costs a bomb.

Kiki stays in the house but I make sure that she gets her yearly jabs and de-worms her every 6 months.

As for Maine, whenever she gets food, she will store it in her mouth, then walk over to her 'kaki', spit the food out to give it to Kiki.

And this continues until I say NO.

Any other 'kang-taus', she will also share with Kiki. Toys, balls, and everything else...

Milko, on the other hand, is not very friendly with Maine.

Hence, he had been moved to our porch area as I fear that the ever-so-playful Maine will touch him and he might bite her.

Although he avoids Maine like the plague, he still loves her to bits.

He protects her whenever he feels she is not in safe hands.

Try beating Maine, he will growl at you.

I have considered giving him away to someone loving as I no longer have the time and patience to care for a kid and 2 furkids.

But I worry a lot about his future in someone else's hands as he is not an easy dog to care for.

He is a good guard dog (noisy dog) and like any typical male dog, he pees anywhere and everywhere (smelly pee - bleaksss)

So, seriously, before you consider getting a pet, think of the responsibilities that comes with it.

It is hard work. I thought I had the time to care for them but that was until I had Maine.

Anyway, I do love them to bits as all 3 of them has brought about laughter and joy to our home.

I Ain't Stupid, Stoooooooooopid!!

2010-05-13T00:35:00.000-07:00

Last week, I posted in FB that I was freaking out as Maine's father had wanted a copy of her birth cert.

When I asked him what it was for, he told me that the lawyer wanted it.

I told him directly that his lawyer should be contacting me or my lawyer to get it and it's impossible that I will pass it directly to him.

Then, he threatened that if I don't give it to him, he will get it from JPN.

I was pretty angry by now, and told him to go ahead and get it from JPN but reminded him that her birth cert does not have his signature before I hung up.

Later that day, I texted him and told him to send me his lawyer's contact.

I did not get his reply on this. (No contact, no reply)

Yesterday, Maine and I were in Jusco to meet up with Peimun and her sweetie-pie Kendra to reserve some of the stuffs for today's JCard Day.

After we were done with choosing, I carried Maine to have our late lunch.

And, guess who we saw?

Yes, it was Maine's sperm donor.

He pretended he did not see us wor...

Fine, not that I would appreciate in him acknowledging us.

Suddenly, I remembered it was Pink Day and went to get some ice-cream for Maine.

He came forward and pretended to look see.

I mai straight-forwardly asked him where is his lawyer's contact lor.

And he LIED by saying he already sent it to me.

I told him I did not get it.

Maine was holding a balloon and it slipped out of her little hand.

He kind-heartedly picked it up for Maine and wanted to hand it over to her.

Luckily, the clever mother (ME!) has taught Maine not to take stuffs from people without me giving her the green light and she just stared at him.

I quickly grabbed it and he went off.

Later on, while we were having lunch, I texted him and ask him to resend the lawyer's contact to me.

NO REPLY.

By now, I am already sure that the copy of birth cert was not requested by a lawyer.

I still do not know what he wants to do with it.

Well... at night, I again texted him and asked him, 'And why have I still not gotten the lawyer's contact? I thought you desperately wanted her birth cert? Don't always try to fool me!'

Right until now, after all that has happened, he is still treating me as if I am stupid.

As stupid as I am, I can cofirm that I am not as stupid as you, STOOOOOPID!!!!

Now, WTH am I babbling about?!

sheWalks at 14 Months 3 Days Ol'

2010-05-11T00:40:00.000-07:00

Nearly forgot to blog about this important milestone.

On the 26th April 2010, Maine has finally started to walk without holding on to our hands.

I had initially planned to upload the video, but as I am going thru a lot of stuffs lately, I do not want to expose too much of her on the Internet for fear that 'somebody' will end up using the infos against me in court.

I am even thinking of making this blog a private one.

Still in the planning.

Well, back to Maine.

On that particular evening, we just reached home after our Pasar Malam outing and PoPo was sorting out the groceries while I was ............... (cannot recall what I was doing)

Suddenly, Maine just stood up on her own and started walking towards PoPo.

I was screaming like a mad woman, 'Ma!! Ma!! You see Chermaine!!!'

T_T

Excited ma... :P

Cheeky was so happy with her achievement, she was walking up and down the whole house with a silly grin plastered onto her face :D

The whole night, our home was filled with laughter and fear (of her falling)

Since then, she has had a few minor falls and usually wails but we encouraged her to stand up on her own.

As promised,

2010-05-09T01:15:00.000-07:00

I am here to announce the 2 lucky winners that were picked by Mainey Baby!!

And the 2 lucky winners are mNhL and Barbara!!

Congrats!!

I will contact you by email/sms to enquire on what vouchers you girls want and to get your addresses as well :)

A big big thank you to all who participated and hopefully, there will be more of these contests in the future.

Below are a compilation of all the entries :

Last but not least, Happy Mother's Day!!

Happy Mother's Day!!

2010-05-07T23:07:00.000-07:00

Our blog's 1st contest has officially ended yesterday.

Thank you all for the participation and I am very grateful for the support from every single one of you :)

And I am having a very very hard time deciding on the winners as I realised that motherhood to each and every individual is different and each and everyone of you has done great jobs in your posts!!!

So, instead of the most creative answer, I will have to get Maine to pick 2 winners via the Lucky-draw Method. :)

Do drop by here tomorrow as I will be announcing the winners.

Before I sign off, I wish every mother out there a happy, Happy Mother's Day. Go pamper yourself as you know you deserve it!!!

Our Blog's First Contest

2010-04-22T20:26:00.000-07:00

In conjunction with Mother's Day next month, we are organizing a simple contest.

Just blog a short (or long) post on what motherhood means to you and send/email me the link.

Oh, if you do not have a blog, then just leave me a comment and tell me what you think of motherhood :)

The 2 most creative answers will win vouchers.

But I am still not too sure of what vouchers I will be giving away at this moment.

Baskin Robbins? McD? Popular? MPH? Parkson? Jusco? Or maybe some nice gifts?

I have yet to decide but I promise there will be something :)

Ermm... suddenly I am scared that there will be no one who's interested :S

Please support me, else I will end up being buay paiseh :D

Contest ends on 7th May 2010.

Come on in and join the fun!!

Thank you!

Slow (?!!)

2010-04-16T20:43:00.000-07:00

You know, today, for the first time ever in Maine's life, someone commented she is slow.

In EVERYTHING.

I didn't hear her say it, my mum came home to tell me.

According to her, 'she' said Maine is slow in everything. Don't take solid, and everything else.

As in walking, talking, etc...

Well, what can I say?

I ain't trying to raise any Picasso (correct or not the spelling?) or Einstein, so even if she's as slow as a snail, I am ok with it.

If you have a problem with that, get your own baby and make a smart-ass out of her/him.

I don't give a darn about it.

And don't come and give a darn about mine...

SERIOUSLY!!!

Thank you ha! :)

I got my DSLR finally!!!

2010-04-13T01:49:00.000-07:00

My very own DSLR at last!!!

After much consideration, I have finally decided to get it.

Bought it last Friday as my credit card offers a 5% cashback every Friday.

Have a lot to learn still coz it's a new thing to me.

Not to mention, post processing.

But then, I guess it's worth the headache as it produces awesome photos!!!!

I can has awesome photos!!

:)))))

Our New Sling!!

2010-04-11T07:31:00.000-07:00

I have 3 slings/baby carriers before this and I hate all of 'em!!!

Right until last month, I beh tahan and went straight to Kamdar and bought 1 and a half metres of Japanese cotton and tied it like Indons slinging their babies.

Then I was MSN-ing with Sasha and asked her if she could make one for me.

And she did!!

So nice some more lor!!!

Love the texture and the colour and everything about it la!!

Best of all, it is very comfy for both Maine and I :D

So now, I can do whatever I want to do with a koala sticking to me!!

Thank you very much again Sasha!!

Read about Sasha and Justin 'crash-testing' the sling before she sent it to me here!!

She is really 1 super talented hot mama!!

A Dress from IreneLim Fashion

2010-04-11T01:09:00.000-07:00

Got a message the other day from Kathy and she told me to participate in this giveaway from IreneLim Fashion.

Browsed thru quickly and chose this dress :

Nice anot?? :D

I know I look like a fei mui zhai.

Should suit slimmer and younger ladies perfectly :)

Hop over to http://www.irenelim.com/ to get something for yourself NOW!!!

They offer affordable clothings and their service is super fast and efficient!!

Maine at 13 months

2010-03-27T01:49:00.000-07:00

a) She now wants to know about everything. She will point at the stuffs that she wants to know about and I will be telling her what the stuff is i.e what is a hose used for, what is the hairstylist doing with her client's hair, yadda yadda yadda...

b) She is a BIG animal-lover. Dogs, cats, hamsters, fishes, lizards, anything that moves, just tell her and her eyes will light up like 2 light bulbs :)

c) She has started walking with me holding 1 side of her hand. If I let go, she will sit/squat down.

d) And now I can confirm she is really a she. Loves dolls and teddies and what-nots. She even knows how to feed her 'babies' with food and milk ok... :D

e) She will kiss me whenever I ask her to. :D

f) She can understand a lot of our words. (drink water, kiss bear bear, give Mummy the phone etc)

g) Will massage me whenever I ask her to.

h) Ermm... donno why she is still not watching tv. Just doesn't show any interest in the cartoons.

i) She loves the puppy (forgot the name) in the Pooh and Tigger series. But she discovered this doggy from books her Yi-Yi got for her, not from tv :P

j) She can say 'bao-bao' (carry)

k) She knows how to pan leng leng now. She used to take off her red hat whenever I put it on for her. But since yesterday, I put it on for her and told her it's very hot and sunny outside, so you better put on this leng leng hat ok girl. And she obliged :D Same with hair-tying.

I'll end this post here and will be posting a few videos within next week on her 'perfomance' so far.

Have a nice weekend!!

Bento-ing!!

2010-03-21T02:08:00.000-07:00

Bought some new tools from Bento Craft.

Carmen was so nice to personally hand the stuffs to me so that I can save on the postage fees.

Thank you again Carmen!!

As everyone already know, Maine is not a big fan when it comes to food.

She either refuses to open her mouth, or when the food manage to get in her mouth, she'll spit 'em out.

So, I've decided to browse through Amy's blog to 'copy' her food art ;)

Only wanted the grapes and kamaboko :(

This is for my cousin sis who is staying with us until next Wednesday.

I made an extra 'goldfish' for Maine and she ate the kamaboko & half a quail egg :)

Am gonna keep trying.

Next round I think I will be making a dog bento for Maine as she is 1 super dog lover :)

Big investment but worth it if I am persistent enough to use the tools right? ;)

Maine is sick

2010-03-19T03:00:00.000-07:00

All this while, when Maine is down with fever or flu or running nose, I will opt not to bring her to the Paed for I believe she does not need antibiotics to build up her immune.

Ok la... of course I do monitor and if it worsens, I'll definitely bring her to the Paed.

This time round, it's... different.

She has been super cranky the past few days and refused to sleep at night even though I know she is very very tired.

She cried and cried and cried until she no longer has the energy to cry and slept.

Maine has NEVER EVER been this way since birth.

She was not an easy to care for baby but she wasn't too hard to either.

At least I can take it.

But I was really off my own limits this round.

I smacked her butt for not sleeping last night.

And felt soooooooooo bad after that...

Right until now and I think I will for the rest of my life =.=

Back to the story.

My maternal instinct struck me perhaps...

I suddenly told myself, I should bring her for a check-up.

And that was what I did.

Brought her to see the Paed and he told me she was 38.1 degree Celcius and had tonsils with white spots.

And I fed her biscuits the day before.

Mommy's report card : FAIL!!

Took her meds and paid for the bill which was RM109.95.

*money fly*

Brought her to Kinta City so that she can have some fun on the kiddie rides and got her a balloon before we went home.

Parenthood is about sacrifing your wants and needs for the little ones.

I wanted to do so much with the money, but am now very glad I did not because all I want is for my girl to be healthy and happy again.

Sorry for the lack of updates as I am truly not inspired to blog about anything.

Well, I should be blogging about Maine's progress and antics but Cheeky's been really cheeky...

Hopefully I will be able to blog more by next week :)

Have a nice weekend peeps!!

My Darling Girl is 1!!!

2010-02-28T20:47:00.000-08:00

We had dinner at 1919 Restaurant but I was too busy feeding Maine that I did not take any photos of the food :P

A very big thank you to Ku-Po, Uncle Nathan, Alfred Kor-kor, Auntie Yin Pheng and Auntie Soo for making this day a special one for the little girl.

Her B.I.R.H.T.D.A.Y cake... yes, you read me right... tabalik *sigh*

I was actually standing and feeding Maine in the toilet booth when I heard the Happy Birthday song playing.

Panicked max and fasterly rushed out from the toilet.

I don't exactly know why they didn't light the candles lor... only lit the single normal candle...

Nehmind...the nice nice candles we save for next year's birthday ok, Maine?

The presents are all posted here for remembrance.

From Auntie Soo. Thank you very much Auntie!!

From Rachael Kai-Ma & Auntie Yin Pheng. Thank you very much!!

From Mommy Ling. Thank you very much Mommy Ling!!

From Rachel Yi-Yi. Thank you very much!!

This is from Maine's Biu-Yi-Po. Thank you very much!!

And not to forget, the clothes we received from Auntie Kathy. Thanks again Kathy!!

And all the angpows too... A zillion thank yous!!!

The Jury Has Decided

2010-02-10T05:59:00.000-08:00

That Chermaine's 1st birthday will be a ~~teeny tiny~~ small and simple celebration.

Most probably dinner somewhere and then a cake which I have ordered from Secret Recipe.

Wanted to go for Korean BBQ buffet at first, but now that she's really mobile and refuses to sit on the high chair while we dine makes it hard for us to eat in peace.

So a simple dinner will do :)

As for her present, I had wanted to get her something special since it's her 1st birthday.

Initially I wanted to knit her a dress after I saw this beautiful dress from Amy's knitting blog.

Hai mai very nice??!!

BUT...

I didn't.

At first I thought yarn was expensive.

So I mai consider and consider and consider.

Then one fine day when I was out searching for Maine's birthday present, I came across something that I have been wanting to get but didn't because it was wayyyyyyyy too expensive.

I went back to the baby shop at least twice within 2 hours' time and finally decided to buy it!

So big-a-hole lor my pocket!!

Ok la... it's nothing like Philip's BMW but still...

Maine's mummy is nothing like Philip's mummy also ma :D

I had no worry of Maine not liking it because I can confirm she will LOVE it...

Which was true!!!

When I reached home with the present in tow, Maine was still napping.

Placed it in the middle of our living room and did my stuffs while waiting to suprise her with her present.

She woke up shortly after and was still a little whiny when I carried her.

I will NEVER EVER forget the look on her face when she saw her new toy!!

Her eyes looked as if they were gonna pop out when I pointed to the car and told her, "See what Mummy's got for you there."

She immediately turned from a whiny baby to an extremely happy one.

Kids will always be kids huh?

Yes, this present did burn a whole in my pocket but it's all worth it.

Everyday when she wakes up from her nap, she'll crawl towards her car and point to it and babytalk to me as if indicating that it's hers or she wanna sit in it *slaps forehead*

Maine, Mummy is sorry but we can only bring it out to the playground once a week because this thing is blardy heavy.

NOTE TO CHERMAINE THAM : Your car car is nicer than Mummy's 12-year-old Iswara. When you are old enough to earn money, please remember to get Mummy a nicer car. Thank you!

Random Photos of Da Babe

2010-02-06T00:09:00.000-08:00

Wanna guess what she's doing?

And here?

ANSWER : 1st pic, she was crying because I refused to carry her. 2nd pic, she was trying to play with Milko who hates her to the max.

The everyday bergaduh with her that one...

The other day Milko snapped at her and her forehead got his teethmark!

No, he didn't bite her, I think he jumped when he saw Maine and knocked his teeth on her forehead :D

On the other hand, Kiki has been doing a good job up until now.

She never cries or whines or threatens to bite Maine no matter how rough Maine is.

Really... Maine is really very rough and yuk gen when she plays with them.

Drinking OJ

My Mummy taught me how to camwhore lidis. Nais?

And she also taught me how to drive car...

Mummy say I really very kaypoh wan... Everything also want to 8...

When Granny told me there are birds up in the sky, I pointed and went 'ooohhhh' lidat. Made my Granny so happy :)

Blessed Lil' Soul

2010-01-29T16:55:00.000-08:00

I always think that since I've been into blogosphere, Maine has gotten more love than ever!!

This time round, we received a parcel from Aunty Kathy and Joshua Kor Kor!!

The contents : Clothes for Maine!!!!!!!

My favourite!!!

Maine looked so pretty in this man!!!

Hai mai hou leng??

Thanks again Kathy!

And then...

Dear Merryn and Ethan sent us a CNY greeting card thru snail mail!!

Seriously, I can't recall the last time I received a CNY greeting card lor...

Thanks again to both this awesome mommies for their lurveeee.....

Maine and Her Beloved AhGong

2010-01-25T06:45:00.000-08:00

I have to blog about this before I forget.

Maine has this special bond with AhGong that is... well, special.

Of course, she bonds well with me and Granny and Fei-KauFu but with AhGong, it's just different...

I can sense she is afraid of AhGong but she loves him very dearly.

Earlier this evening, before we go to bed, I carried Maine to my folks' room to kaypoh for awhile.

I was flipping thru the papers, Granny was reading some magazine, AhGong was reading a book and Maine was fooling around.

Suddenly, she grabbed AhGong's reading glasses.

AhGong held her hand and sternly said NO to her.

She kept quiet for a short while and continued her kaypoh-ing.

A moment later, she grabbed the glasses again.

This time, AhGong piak-ed her lIttle hand.

She kept quiet and continued to kaypoh.

Granny and I silently exchanged the 0_o looks coz if it were us who piak-ed her, she would've bawled!!!

Not even 1 minute, she did it again.

AhGong piak-ed again.

No reaction. (Suprise, suprise!!)

This went on a few times.

The last time AhGong smacked her hand, she kept quiet and started rubbing her face/nose.

And I thought she was sleepy.

No, it wasn't because she was sleepy...

A single tear rolled down her cheek...

*Mummy's heart suddenly felt like tau fu fah*

No crying, no bawling... just teared like us adults do...

It's really a big deal coz she's only 11 months old... (Did she learn this from me while she was in my tummy because I cried day and night during my pregnancy?)

She leaned her head against AhGong as if telling him she wanted him to sayang her back.

AhGong carried her and talked to her about her wrongdoing.

Granny also carried her and wiped the tear off her cheek.

I carried her and told her to wave bye-bye and to give them a flying kiss.

Then we went back into our room, she cried a little and she's sleeping now while I'm writing this.

It's really different the way she is with AhGong and the way she is with me/Granny.

She will bawl/cry/kick/scream whenever she beh song with us.

What happened today just proved to me that my little baby is starting her journey into toddlerhood.

Next month onwards, she'll no longer be a baby.

She is already showing the signs of terrible 2.

*shudders in fear*

She is so demanding now and needs almost everything done her way.

I can only hope that I have the determination, patience, knowledge, and all else that is needed to shape her into becoming a better someone...

And that she loves her family as much as we all love her.

Da Babe at 11 months old

2010-01-22T20:44:00.000-08:00

She's officially 11 months old today!!

:))))

~~This month will be a lil' special coz it falls on a Saturday.~~

This month was a lil' special becoz... she fell from her bike.

Can you feel how painful it is? My heart broke into a million pieces.

My mum will usually bring the dogs for a walk in the morning and by the time they are all home, Maine will be awake.

Then Granny will bring her for her walk.

But this morning, Maine woke up extremely early at 7.23am.

So Granny brought all of them for a walk (dogs + Maine) while I rot in bed.

Less than 5 minutes or so, I hear my mum scolding the dogs while Maine was sobbing away.

I fasterly jumped out of bed and asked what happened.

When my mum told me Maine fell, I thought the reason she fell must be becoz she stood in her bike la...

But, it was becoz Milko pooed and my mum being the responsible citizen, picked up the poop to throw it into the longkang.

While my mum went to the nearby longkang, the dogs pulled and tugged and Maine fell sideways.

Thus the injury on her right cheek.

When my mum was telling me this, there were tears welling up in her eyes.

I convinced her that all kids fall so it is really nothing, don't cry and all but deep inside I feel like crying too...

Just thinking of falling on the tarred road is painful enough.

I then brought Maine for a short walk to quiet her down and she's her cheerful self once again.

Just hoping that it will heal as soon as possible and that the pain she has to go thru these few days will not be so excruciating.

I am not gonna blame anyone on this matter as it had already happened.

*****************************************************

She's growing so fast.

I have never been happier in my whole life...

NEVER...

Not even any shopping spree will make me this happy :)))

A summary on how well she's growing up :

a) She still weighs 8kgs. But I don't know why it's so tiring to carry her now. I feel that my left hand and shoulder will break anytime soon :(

b) She now stands on her high chair making it impossible for us to eat out in peace. Even the rattan high chair at home also she no fong koh... She'll stand up after 5 minutes tops... Soon, I think we can't put her into it anymore as it is very dangerous.

c) Whenever she does not want us to put her into her walker/high chair, she'll stretch her legs wide. No matter how hard we try to put her in also fail wan...

d) Knows how to kiss someone/something whenever she is told to :))))

e) Is superbly attached to our dogs... No matter how sleepy she is, the moment we reach home, she has to play with Kiki and Milko first. Then only gum yuin sleep.

f) Can drink from a straw.

g) When we scold her for doing something wrong, this lil' cheeky will look down for a short while, then blabber blabber in some baby talk as if trying to talk about something else.

h) Whenever she sees some things that excites her, she'll ooohhhh...

i) Pretends to talk on her phone (anything she finds convenient i.e her toys, Astro remote)

j) Knows when to wave bye-bye followed by a flying kiss.

k) Loves teddy bears.

l) Whenever we go shopping, she knows which are her stuffs by touching touching them and babytalking to us as if telling us, 'This is nice'. *slaps forehead*

m) Still hates porridge but manage to survive so far by eating cereals, yoghurts, fruits, biscuits and other stuffs. Her latest craze is HoneyStars. *rolls eyeballs* Has tried egg and she loves it. And caramel custard is another favourite.

I have previously blogged saying that she no longer wants to drink nen-nen in a cradle hold position but wanna sit sit and drink.

Now got new pattern lu...

Wanna stand and drink...

Membengkokkan her badan and drink from me.

My n*pples are gonna break very soon ok?!!!

*sigh* Don't know what to say about this lil' cheeky la...

And she used to be a very good girl coz when we put her on her potty and ask her to poo/pee, she'll do so.

Now...

She refuses to sit on the potty for even 1 second.

Must be becoz she thinks she'll be missing out on a lot of new things when she sits on the potty :(

There are more infos on her but I'm just not in the mood since the earlier incident.

Have a nice weekend everyone!!

Because She Means The World To Me

2010-01-21T01:27:00.000-08:00

Artsy-fartsy people, stop laughing and shoo!!

20 years from now, I want Maine to know how much she means to me...

Vegetable Kerabu : The Healthier Alternative to Traditional Lou Sang

2010-01-18T20:08:00.000-08:00

Chinese New Year is around the corner and most people will Lou Sang.

I personally never liked LouSang-ing.

Don't ask me why as I don't even know the reason myself :)

BUT...

My mum made this 1 day from a recipe book I bought for her...

And it was superbly delicious!!!!

And healthier too.

VEGETABLE KERABU

Ingredients :

2 cucumbers (cut away iths, finely shredded)

1 carrot (finely shredded)

2 wedges of pineapple (cut into smaller pieces)

150g peppermint leaves

80g black wood fungus (soaked, finely shredded)

2 stalks pink ginger buds (finely shredded)

10 cili padi (diced)

190g shallots (sliced)

200g roasted peanuts (coarsely milled)

For sauce :

325g tomato sauce

340g chilli sauce

200g sour plum sauce

4 tbsps sugar

Method :

1) Heat wok with a little oil. Pour in ingredients for sauce. Bring it to a boil and set aside to cool.

2) Serve all ingredients on a platter. Add in sauce.

3) TOSS a.k.a LOU AH LOU!!

Our first attempt, not very nice-looking but delicious nonetheless :))

I kana marah for pandai pandai sprinkling the peanuts when they actually have to be milled first :P

The Making of Pot Pie

2010-01-13T06:12:00.000-08:00

Today si futt hun (buttock itchy) wanna try out Sasha's potpie recipe.

After Maine woke up from her nap, I mai fasterly ~~grabbed her~~ went out to buy the necessary items i.e potatoes, button mushrooms, mushroom soup and beef.

Then when we reached home, she also started to manyak keriau (fussy), wanna sleep...

I fasterly offer her my nen nen so that she can fai fai nap and I can fai fai do my pot pie lor...

First, I chopped some yellow onions.

Then I washed the beef fillets after I perap for a little while with salt.

Next, I wanted to cut button mushrooms.

But...

I tried and tried...

My can opener is useless...

And it's new!!!

Kana tipu!!!

Then I mai very clever lor...

Use so much energy to make 1 big hole...

Then I liu the button mushrooms out... The whole while saying to myself, "Hou choi the next thing to open is soup, if not confirm I die"

After I finished cutting all the mushrooms, I proceed to open the can of soup lor...

Again use even more energy than just now coz the can opener is even more spoilt now (I used it to giao open the mushroom can la)

I smart ma... 1 tiny little hole, I very the happy lor... thought can pour out the soup...

I forgot that the soup is mad thick!!! (Proof that I seldom drink Campbell's soup)

So shake here shake there hoping the soup will miraculously come out by itself T_T

It didn't...

I put water into the can and shake shake some more lor...

AHHH!! Can can!!!

But tak cukup water... I mai poured in more lor...

Then I cook everything together and lastly poured in the soup...

DAI!!!!

So watery how la??

Fasterly go ask my sifu in MSN... (as per my failing memory...cannot remember exactly how our conversation went... :P)

ME : Babe... wanna ask you about your pot pie... Add in water until what consistency?

Sasha : Little bit enough... if too much then when you cut open that time macam sungai mengalir...

ME : But I already add too much water...now thinking wanna continue to make or not... haha

Sasha : Mmmm...you add flour...

ME : Really mou?

Sasha : To make the soup thicker

ME : Ok I go try now...thanks :)

I mai dump in whatever flour I have and recook the poor thing lor...

Sasha Geng!!!! Soup thicken!!

Next step, I boiled potatoes then mashed it with milk and butter and salt and pepper.

Spread on top of my filling...

Then search in the fridge for egg...

Ten ten ten!!

No egg *slap forehead*

Kacau sifu again lor...

Sasha : Yes babe? (How come you know I need to ask you something??!)

ME : Babe... tak glaze can or not?

Sasha : Mmm... you no egg ar?

ME : Hahaha... I think I go find jor sin see got or not... Thanks :)

Found la :D

Glaze then continue next step.

Sprinkle with grated cheese.

After that pop into oven.

While cleaning up the mess I made I stole a little bit of the cheese and put into my mouth...

AIKSSS!!! Why macam got weird smell? Or coz this cheese smells lidat one?

DAI AGAIN!!

Ting!! My oven calling me...

Took out my pot pie, cut 1 small slice and taste...

HEAVENLY!!!

So mad nice can dai :))))

My No.1 Fan-si a.k.a FeiKauFu say Absolutely delicious.

The food critic a.k.a my mum say Ok-la (which is a good sign coz she never say nice one :))) )

The don't-eat-can-or-not (he damn scared jadi white mouse everytime I cook/bake something) a.k.a my dad say Sek tuck ha (Boleh tahan)

Wah... so happy can fly!!

Go try nao!!! Really very nice!!!

Thank you again ar Sasha for being so patient with me :D

Please bear with the language. I no mood to use artsy fartsy English today.

Stay tuned for my next post : The healthier Alternative to Lou Sang

New Sleep Pattern

2010-01-10T21:07:00.000-08:00

2 weeks ago, I mentioned in Facebook that Maine no longer sleeps in her yao-yao.

And she's still not sleeping in her yao-yao.

Yay!!!

But no yay for Mummy coz it means that my Me-time has been significantly reduced from 4 hours a day to only 1 hour :(

She usually naps from 12++ p.m for about an hour.

And then wakes up to create havoc in the house.

I really don't know where she got so much energy from!!

Crawl here, crawl there.

Kacau the dogs.

Bullies the mummy.

Bullies the Granny if she's around.

She now sleeps at 8++ p.m until 9++ a.m the next day.

That is more than 13 hours leh...

I usually will sleep together with her during the night instead of doing my own stuffs as by that time I am fully KO-ed.

Really mad tired!!

*salutes all other mommies*

*double salutes to mommies with more than 1 kid*

It is during this month that I feel Maine has grown so so much.

WHY I LOVE YOU

I love the way you smile,

the way you laugh,

the way your little fingers wriggle,

the way they respond to my touches,

the twinkle in your eyes,

the way you look into mine,

the way you hug me,

the way you smile when I hug you,

the way you ask to be carried,

the way you hold your toys,

the way you call me MaMaMa,

the way you stroke my cheek.

I love your baby belly,

your little feet,

your baby hair,

and everything else about you.

I love how you suprised me throughout my journey in MaMaHood,

I never thought I would love you so much,

I never thought you would bring me so much joy and happiness,

I never thought the bond between you and me will be so strong,

it's you who have taught me,

to love and be loved,

all over again,

it's you who have taught me that love exists,

that love will come to those who believe in it,

so sincere,

so genuine,

so real...

I love being your Mummy and Daddy,

to have you in our family.

For you have brought us together,

in so many ways.

And I love it even more that you have done it unintentionally.

Our 1st Holiday

2010-01-06T06:46:00.000-08:00

I finally gathered enough courage to bring Maine for a short holiday uphill.

I had always wanted to bring her for holidays but somehow was secretly afraid of Maine misbehaving.

This time around, she suprised me mucho!!!

She behaved extremely well and enjoyed herself so much during the entire getaway!!

We started our journey around 8am and reached there around 11am.

During the journey, Maine slept for about 45 minutes to an hour and spent the remaining munching on baby biscuits and playing with Granny & Mummy.

We stayed in First World Hotel.

For FREE!!!

A room for my Pa and Ma, and a room for Maine and moi :)

Bought 4 all-park tix for RM102.

Without wasting any time, we fasterly proceeded to the outdoor theme park.

This little girl kept on pinching and kissing Maine when we were queuing for the boat ride. Maine was so scared of her :P

There were lots of Middle Eastern people in Genting.

And they were so... 'interested' with Maine.

They stopped to coo and aahhh with Maine...

Some even took the opportunity to take photo with her.

But I always thought their babies look much cuter with big round eyes and fair complexion and curly hair!!

The moment we checked into our room, I put Maine onto the 2 single beds.

The happy 'customer'

She rolled and crawled and laughed.

We had buffet dinner at Coffee Terrace.

And proceeded to the indoor theme park.

After a few rides, I brought Maine back to our room while my AhPa and AhMa go pak tor.

The next morning we had breakfast with AhGong and Granny's friends.

Kencing on the bed just before we left... *hides face*

Dropped by Kampar to have lunch and reached home at 3.30pm.

It was a very tiring trip because we had to carry Maine and her stroller at certain points.

But when she laughed and screamed and smiled, all 3 of us totally agreed it was worth it.

Am looking forward to our next trip together :))

The only sad part is Cynthia couldn't make it. I was so looking forward to meeting her and Breanna :(

And the only angry part was the moment I reached Genting, someone called me and told me my car will be repossesed the very next day at 3pm because the geng yeh has not paid for the car instalments. 3 instalments to be exact. I mad kanjiong, called the geng yeh and shoot la!! ISH!!

No, I wanna end this post with happiness, not anger...

Oh, another sad part is Maine lost her favouritest chao-chao in Genting. Now gotta use her other not so favourite chao-chao.

HAPPINESS...

Erm... Finally managed to get Maine's Cheena New Year clothes in Genting :))

Of Spoiling and Not Spoiling

2010-01-01T15:40:00.000-08:00

THIS AIN'T A HATE/ANGRY POST. JUST A PIECE OF MY MIND THAT I WOULD LIKE TO JOT DOWN.

Last night, we had dinner with my ex-classmates.

Maine was not in the best of her mood but still passable.

I would rate her a 6/10 for 'performance' that night. :D

I don't know why but they think I spoil Maine.

I think because Maine was sticking to me like a leech.

And they assume I am spoiling her.

What is wrong when I am tending to my own girl?

Isn't that what a mother should be doing to her kid?

Hey, I do ignore her when I have made sure she gets what she needs but is still crying or screaming.

And I do scold her when she is over cranky.

I used to lightly beat her butt too.

A few of them were talking to themselves.

Then 1 of them came over.

"Just now we were saying, if I were Agnes, I will keep on stuffing her with food so that she cannot make noise"

Hello! You think babies are so stupid nowadays ka? They outsmart you anytime can? Next time when you old jor, you want them to keep on stuffing you with food so that you cannot make noise not?

"But LY geng-er, she said if I were Agnes, I would rather leave her at home."

Ah... this one really smart. Leave the parcel at home. Then let the dogs take care of her is it?

Then before leaving, another guy friend came over to tell me, "You don't spoil her now ar, if not next time when she can talk jor, then you very mafarn de. Let her cry la..."

I do agree that I shouldn't spoil her.

BUT the point is... I DIDN'T SHOW ANY SIGNS THAT I WAS SPOILING HER LAST NIGHT.

No, not at all.

I mean I think it's normal that she's cranky and clinging to me because it was past her bedtime.

She wanna stick to her mummy because the mummy is her 1 and only friend now correct?

I've said this for many many times : When she grows older and no longer wants to cling to her mummy, I will miss the feeling of being wanted by my girl.

Just like in any relationship.

I understand all of these were of good intentions.

But you guys gotta understand I have my own way of raising my girl.

Just like some people prefer to feed their kids with formula, or cane their kids, or anything else.

If they feel it is best for their children then why not?

They have their own way, it works for them and it's their kids.

AND NONE OF THEM HAS KIDS... YET

No, I did not bombard them with the words above, I smiled and kept quiet.

Thank you.

Our 1st Christmas Together & My New Year Resolutions

2009-12-29T21:51:00.000-08:00

We did nothing much on Christmas but it was still great nonetheless...

Went to Jusco with Hot Popo around noon hoping to catch a glimpse of Santa but I think he was off that day :P

Later in the evening, we went to church.

She enjoyed watching Kor-Kor Cheh-Chehs' performance

Thank you LaiYee Biu-YiYi for the Christmas present :)

And Mummy bought Maine a Barbie lunchbox and a water tumbler.

Maine's Christmas gift to Mummy?

Yes... she can crawl now!!

She is a slow crawler compared to a lot of babies out there but I am proud of her nonetheless :)

My poor dogs... poor poor Kiki and Milko...

Last time, Maine used to bully only Milko when she was roaming the house in her walker.

Now, she prefer to kacau Kiki ~~and make her life miserable~~.

AND!!

Better still, she can stand with support!!

Mummy is BEAMING WITH PRIDE!!!

**********************************

I am posting my New Year resolution here so that I can keep on reminding myself :D

1) Never ever scream in front of Maine no matter what.

2) To be a better mother, a better sister and a better daughter.

3) To shop less and save more moolah.

4) Hopefully, to go back to my working life.

5) To lead a healthier lifestyle. (Exercise more, eat less junk)

6) To become a role model for da babe. So, no cursing, no bitching, no whining.

7) To spend more time with da babe and less with the virtual world.

8) To continue getting to know all my blogger friends out there.

Ok la... number 7 & 8 is contradicting but what the heck... (Oopss... no cursing wor... NO!! Not new year yet, so don't count)

WISHING ALL MY BLOGGER FRIENDS OUT THERE A HAPPY AND SUCCESSFUL YEAR AHEAD!! THANKS FOR ALL THE SUPPORT THAT YOU GUYS AND GALS HAVE GIVEN ME THROUGHOUT MY NOT-SO-GOOD TIMES! I LOVE ALL OF YOU!!

Maine at 10 months old

2009-12-22T21:20:00.000-08:00

A summary of what Maine is 'capable' of doing nowadays:

a) Waves bye bye to everyone when being told to. Especially fast reaction when she wants to leave certain places.

b) You know when kids do something wrong, we'll say ohhhhh... she'll follow suit *faint*

c) It's a struggle now to change her nappy/diapers. She would scream as if I just put her on an operation table or something

d) Pretends to cough when Mummy coughs

e) Shakes her hands as if she's dancing when she hears rock music *thanks to her grandparents*

f) Can be carried by more people than compared to a few months back... Even Kakak Lata can carry her now... She used to wail when she was near Kakak Lata

g) She can differentiate 'real' things from 'fake' things. Eg: we have 2 astro remote controls at home. 1 is spoilt after she dropped it several times. So Mummy gave that to her as a toy. She refused it and wanted the new one instead. Handphone also same. Spoilt one she yat pek (throw), real one, she'll show Mummy her evil grin

h) Not as talkative as last month. But when she does talk, she says it in a long sentence that only God knows what she is saying

i) OH... when we say Tah! (beat) she'll show the gesture too...

j) She's still fully breastfeeding. Solid food that she has taken so far : rice with soup, banana, baby yoghurt, cornflakes, Baby Bites, apple, watermelon, ma chou (what's this called in English?) juice without sugar, organic wild rice bread... all these in small amounts but still better than nothing

k) Is now an F1 driver in her walker

l) She's still trying very hard to crawl. But she's very cautious on this. Whenever she feels she's gonna PK, she'll sit back on her butt :)

m) She has gained weight!!! Now a whopping 8kgs :))))

WISHING EVERYONE A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

The KPC and Shots Using the New Semi-Pro

2009-12-18T16:45:00.000-08:00

Maine is now in the mode where she'll go busybody at what everyone's doing...

Popo, Popo... what are you doing there?

Popo, Popo... what is that sound ar?

Popo, Popo... what are you holding there?

Can see the newspapers on the the right side of the last photo?

That's the place Kiki and Milko do their business...

And Maine also will go KPoh there.

So, halfway thru their pangsai session, Maine arrives...

Then all hell broke loose...

'cause chicken fly dog run (Kai fei gau jau)

That is how kiong Maine's sat siong lik is.

AND...

Caught!!!

She's not tired of doing this 5 times a day...

And the mummy also not tired of folding the clothes back 5 times a day...

*slaps forehead*

.......................................................................................................

Random pix of my babe using my new semi-pro...

Speaking of which... I LOVE IT!!!

It's so much better than my ex-Olympus.

But I have yet to master the skill of using it...

Gotta practice more :)))

Biu-YiYi came to stay with us for a few days :)

No, I don't remember what she was screaming about =.='''

Brought her to the park again...

Maine somehow looks like a bird in this pic.

On the swing again :P

SheHappy

Popo also happy :)

The emak also happy :))))

Another bird-like shot of Maine :P

The kiddie rides in Giant is FREE!!!

Ok la... I think a bit sarca here... but it's FREE leh...

FREE FREE FREE!!

The emak is evil...

Have a nice weekend, peeps!!

Tutorial : How to Pose Like A Supermodel by Chermaine

2009-12-04T00:51:00.000-08:00

TwoPixels is giving away free photo sessions for at least 3 lucky bloggers!!!! I wanna win one for Maine too!!!!

I have been planning to enquire Jazzmint or Sue about the photo shoot previously but somehow dreaded as I wanted to save the money for Maine...

On the other hand, Maine has never been in a decent photo shoot...

Only her Ama punya ciplak camera kinda photo shoot *cough cough*

Since a lot of people might wanna learn/teach their kids to pose if they were selected for the photo shoot, this post shall be a tutorial on HOW TO POSE LIKE A SUPERMODEL BY CHERMAINE

Pose 1 : The trick here is to cover up important parts because you don't wanna look slutty like those in the PlayBoy magazines but the whole idea of the photo is to show that you can sit on your potty to do your business. Hold up your hand as if you are holding an imaginary tray. Look away from the camera and Ke-chak... Your first shot is done :)

Pose 2 : Like the first one, the key is to COVER UP. Important just in case you get famous in the future. You wouldn't want anyone to post your naked pics on the Internet, right? Hold your hand up like you are about to wave and smile at the camera boy (In my case it's my mum, AgnesHypopotamum). Sweet smile. Sugar-sweet smile... Ke-chak!!

Pose 3 : This is a more amateur pose. But not hard, don't worry. First, lie on your back on the alphabet mat or whatever you want to lie on (rocks, beach, durians etc). Then spread your arms outwards like so. Fold one leg up (AGAIN... to cover up important places). Now for this, the key is to look sexy without the S-E-X. So you might wanna try not smiling to get the perfect sexy shot... 1-2-3 Ke-chak...

Pose 4 : This is a shot that you so wanna learn... How to pose better than the already famous model in the banner behind you. Stand up straight (you might wanna try getting someone to hold you if you can't stand on your own. In my case, it's my Hot Popo). Position your hands where you are comfortable. You can choose to pout but I prefer the silent 'aahh'. Much sexier to me but it's really a personal choice. This shot would've been better if I held a milk bottle (as per suggested by Auntie Sasha)... but there was none around. Passable tho... Ke-chak!!

Pose 5 : Lie on your chest (bed, beach, nailbed, etc). Place a pillow so that your head is well rested on it to create maximum effect. Put your right hand on the pillow as well (best at eye-level as per pic attached above). Raised your butt a little, look into the camera, breathe in and Ke-chak!!!

Simple but useful tutorial... I am sure all of you agree with me (buay paiseh)

Note : All the above are for pure entertainment done by my naughty mummy. PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!!

Oh oh... And HAPPY FIRST ANNIVERSARY TO TWOPIXELS!! May you continue to capture more beautiful moments like these...

My Babe at 9 months old

2009-12-03T00:33:00.000-08:00

Time passes by so fast...

My Maine is already 9 months old...

In another 3 months or so, I will be working again...

That means I will be sending Maine to a babysitter...

Just thinking of it makes me sad...

But I have to work...

For our future.

Maine, Mummy still loves you the most no matter what happens. Mummy will not leave you if not because Mummy has to earn more money to give you the best of everything, ok? Mummy will spend all of Mummy's free time with you... And Mummy wants to earn more money to bring you to Disneyland next Christmas... Wants to buy more cool stuffs for you and also to save for your education... Please understand Mummy, ok dear?

Ok, no more sad stuffs...

Maine has been calling everything in sight mamamamamamamama....

EVERYTHING!!!!

*sobs*

And a new word in her vocab...

Mm moi ar...

The way she says it is so so so cute...

Mad loves her la.

She is now fully on breastmilk.

Only breastmilk.

Bread tak mau, porridge tak mau, pasta tak mau...

Apa pun tak mau...

I offered everything but still she is not interested.

She only wants raisins... and cold yoghurt *shakes head*

And the raisins ha... not that I don't wanna let her eat...

But semua keluar with the poo poo...

Not digested.

Cold yoghurt, I am afraid she'll start coughing.

So how?

Any ideas?

She developed a new pattern during feeding.

Seated.

She no longer wants to be in the cradle hold position when I feed her.

Creative or not you all say?

She is now weighing 7.45 kgs.

Only 0.25kgs increment from her last check-up.

But as long as she's happy and healthy, then I guess it's not too bad.

Her best entertainment now must be Milko.

They argue everyday without fail.

Maine will bang her walker into Milko who is in his playpen.

That will make Milko bark in fear.

And Maine, upon hearing him bark, will scream with excitement...

My days are filled with dog-barking, Maine-screaming noises. *pulls hair*

Milko is extremely protective of Maine nonetheless.

Very proud of all my 3 babies :)

Simple things like this make me smile.

:)))))))))